Reuters: The European Union Sanctions 10 Individuals and Entities Linked to Iran

Reuters has reported, citing informed sources, that the 27 members of the European Union have agreed to sanction 10 individuals and entities linked to the Islamic Republic. On Wednesday, May 23, Reuters reported that this agreement follows last month's decision by the European Union to increase sanctions against the Islamic Republic due to its attack on Israeli territory, the activities of its proxy groups in the Middle East and the Red Sea, as well as military support for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. EU members decided to increase sanctions against the Islamic Republic following a wide-ranging drone and missile attack by Iran on Israel on April 14 of this year. The report did not specify which individuals and entities from Iran have been added to the EU blacklist. The agreement to 'expand sanctions' against Iran's military program came after the attack on Israel. Iran's proxy groups in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq have conducted attacks against American forces and Israeli territory since the onset of the Gaza war in mid-October last year, and Houthi rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, posing a high risk to navigation in the area. Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, announced on April 22 that the Union had, in principle, agreed to expand sanctions against Tehran following Iran's missile and drone attacks on Israel. He stated that the sanctions would go beyond supplying Russia and would include providing drones and missiles to Tehran-affiliated proxy groups in the region. He did not mention placing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the list of terrorist groups, and the Belgian Foreign Minister also stated that there has not yet been an agreement on what legal basis could justify adding the IRGC to the EU sanctions as a terrorist group. Alexander De Croo, the Belgian Prime Minister, emphasized the need to label the IRGC as terrorist, but Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, stated that this still requires further examination.