Increased Diplomatic Pressure from Europe and International Bodies on the Islamic Republic; Widespread Support for Iranian Protesters

As the nationwide uprising in Iran continues and reports of violent repression of protesters, killings of citizens, widespread arrests, and complete internet shutdowns increase, a new wave of diplomatic reactions and actions has emerged in Europe and international organizations. Senior European officials and human rights officials from the United Nations have recently taken clearer stances than before, accusing the Islamic Republic of blatant human rights violations. Germany: A Regime That Has Lost Its Legitimacy. Friedrich Merz, the Chancellor of Germany, referring to the intensification of the suppression of protests in Iran, stated: "When a regime can only remain in power through violence, it has effectively reached the end of the road." He described the ongoing protests as a national uprising and added: "It seems we are now in the final days or weeks of this regime's life." Merz emphasized that the Islamic Republic lacks any electoral legitimacy and expressed hope that the transition from this crisis would occur with the least human cost. Meanwhile, the German Foreign Ministry announced that it had summoned the Islamic Republic's ambassador in Berlin to express serious concern over the violence against protesters. Hannah Neumann, Germany's representative in the European Parliament, also wrote on X that "the Iranian regime has no legitimacy anymore" and called for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be placed on the list of terrorist organizations of the European Union. A Wave of Summoning Islamic Republic Ambassadors in Europe. Concurrently with the intensification of protests, several European countries have summoned Islamic Republic ambassadors: France: Jean-Noël Barrot, the French Foreign Minister, announced that on Tuesday, in response to what he called "the unbearable and inhumane suppression" of protests in Iran, he summoned the Islamic Republic's ambassador. Britain: Yvette Cooper, the British Foreign Secretary, condemned the "horrific and ruthless massacre" of protesters and announced the summoning of the Islamic Republic's ambassador in London, stating that the British government is continuously working to ensure the safety of British citizens in Iran. Italy: Antonio Tajani, the Italian Foreign Minister, announced that the Islamic Republic's ambassador in Rome had been summoned. Portugal: The Portuguese Foreign Ministry summoned the Islamic Republic's ambassador in Lisbon to condemn the violent suppression of protesters. Finland: Elina Valtonen, the Finnish Foreign Minister, called the internet shutdown for "suppressing in silence" intolerable and announced the summoning of the Islamic Republic's ambassador. Belgium and Spain had previously summoned Iranian ambassadors, demanding respect for the right to peaceful protest and an end to arbitrary detentions. United Nations: Gross Human Rights Violations and Unacceptable Use of Violence. Internationally, reactions have intensified. A group of independent human rights experts from the United Nations issued a statement on Tuesday, January 13, in Geneva, describing the use of lethal force against peaceful protesters, arbitrary detentions including the detention of children, and attacks on medical facilities as "a blatant violation of international human rights." Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also stated that labeling protesters as "terrorists" to justify violence is completely unacceptable. He urged the Iranian authorities to immediately end all forms of repression, fully restore internet and communication services, and be accountable for "serious human rights violations." The simultaneous increase in diplomatic pressure from Europe and explicit warnings from international bodies comes as reports from inside Iran indicate the continuation of bloody repression, widespread arrests, shootings at protesters, and ongoing internet shutdowns.