EU imposes new sanctions on Iran, Tehran responds

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English + Agencies
17 Oct 2022 21:51

EU foreign ministers announces asset freezes and travel bans against Iranian individuals and institutions including Iran's Morality Police allegedly linked to riots in the Islamic Republic.

Police cars stand outside EU headquarters in Brussels after an incident was reported on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022 (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Following Ukrainian reports that claimed Russia is using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones to target the country during the past weeks, Several EU foreign ministers called to impose sanctions on Iran.

EU foreign ministers imposed asset freezes and travel bans linked to riots in Iran on Iran's morality police, four Iranian public institutions, and 11 Iranian individuals.

Among the main supporters of the sanctions were France and Germany, which believe that Iran's claimed supply of drones to Russia must be seen as a violation of the UN Security Council resolution.

In a statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry responded to the EU sanctions by saying the European Union took a counterproductive step today by imposing sanctions on Iran.

The ministry said the EU miscalculated by resorting to sanctions, calling it an "obsolete tool."

Earlier, Politico reported that Iran's Ambassador to the EU sent a secret missive to EU ambassadors warning them of imposing sanctions against Tehran related to riots currently ongoing in the country. The letter, seen by Politico, implies that if such sanctions are imposed on Iran, meddling in its internal affairs, then this will "bear a detrimental impact on Iran-Europe relations," which are already “at their most fragile [state] at the moment."

Moreover, according to the report, the message deplores the “current Iran-bashing trends in Europe” and accuses “war-mongering factions in the United States” of “stoking the fire of conflict.”

After the meeting, Josep Borell, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated, "We are following very closely the use of drones. We are gathering evidence and we will be ready to react with the tools at our disposal,"

Foreign Minister of Denmark, Jeppe Kofod, stated before the meeting taking place in Luxembourg that, "Iranian drones are used apparently to attack in the middle of Kiev, this is an atrocity," while Estonian Foreign Minister, Urmas Reinsalu, stated to Reuters that sanctions against Iran, "should be worked out immediately," adding that sanctions on the Islamic Republic will act as a deterrent to convey that "this has consequences."

Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper earlier said that Iran would continue to avoid any steps that could prolong the war in Ukraine and did not confirm the sale of military equipment, including drones, to Russia.

"We have various forms of cooperation with Russia, including in the sphere of defense, but we are not helping either side involved in the [Ukrainian] conflict because we are certain that it should be ended. I think that currently, the problem is elsewhere - some Western countries, including the US, are manufacturing arms and trying to sell their products. We are trying to avoid any actions that may lead to an escalation. We are working on stopping this war," the Iranian FM said.

While Western media accused Iran's morality police of having tortured Amini to death, all evidence so far points to the fact that Amini's death was natural, as she had suffered from poor health as a child and was operated on at Tehran's Milad Hospital in the year 2007 to remove a brain tumor, which caused her health problems down the line.

Iranian Ministry of Intelligence announced on September 30 the arrest of more than 250 people in connection to the riots that ensued following the death of Amini, including 9 foreigners.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pointed fingers at the US and "Israel" for fomenting the unrest rocking the country. "I say clearly that these riots and the insecurity were engineered by America and the occupying, false Zionist regime, as well as their paid agents," he said.

Media have exploited Mahsa Amini's death to reach the extent of chaotic protests, but Amini's father, Amjad Amini, condemned those actions and confirmed that the gatherings and demonstrations held in a number of Iranian provinces "have nothing" to do with the family and "were not for our sake."