The European Union to Sanction Defense Minister and 8 Other Individuals and Entities of the Islamic Republic

Diplomats announced on Friday, May 25, that EU member states agreed to sanction 9 individuals and entities of the Islamic Republic, including Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, the Defense Minister, due to Tehran's military and drone support for Russia in the Ukraine war. According to Reuters, ambassadors of EU member states reached an agreement on these sanctions in Brussels on Friday, and they are set to be implemented after approval at the EU foreign ministers' meeting on Monday, May 29. An EU diplomat told Reuters that these 9 individuals are being sanctioned in connection with Iran's drone program. The diplomat added that some technical details regarding these sanctions are still under review, but Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, will announce them after approval on Monday. Another diplomat also confirmed to Reuters that an agreement has been reached regarding the sanctioning of Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, the Islamic Republic's Defense Minister. On April 23, Josep Borrell announced that the EU had agreed in principle to expand sanctions against Tehran following missile and drone attacks by the Islamic Republic 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 no agreement has been reached on what legal basis could justify adding the IRGC to the EU sanctions as a terrorist group. Iranian proxy forces in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq have attacked American forces and Israeli territory since the onset of the Gaza war last October, and Houthi rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb.