The European Commission welcomes today’s (30 January) Council decision to adopt further restrictive measures against Iran. An additional 15 individuals and six entities have been sanctioned in response to the regime’s continued and brutal repression of protesters.
The restrictive measures consist of an asset freeze, travel bans to the EU, and a prohibition to make funds or economic resources available to those listed. The European Union is closely following the situation in the country and remains prepared to impose additional sanctions.
The Council also extended the prohibition on the export, sale, transfer or supply from the Union to Iran of further components and technologies used in the development and production of drones and missiles. Iran has been providing these to Russia, facilitating its targeting of Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.
In addition, the Council has sanctioned four persons and six entities due to their involvement in Iran’s drones and missiles programme. They are now subject to restrictive measures, including travel bans on individuals and asset freezes for individuals and entities.
The measures will enter into force on the day of their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
High Representative/Vice President Kaja Kallas said: “Our latest EU sanctions are a message to the regime: Iran’s suppression of freedom will not go unanswered. Those responsible for the deadly crackdown on protesters, including the Minister of Interior, face international consequences. And we are ready to do more should the situation deteriorate further. In parallel, the Iranian regime continues to support a fellow dictatorship in Russia that kills innocent civilians in Ukraine every day. New sanctions will also apply on those supporting this illegal war. A regime that kills thousands of its own people and supports aggression against others beyond its borders is only working toward its own demise.”
Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque said: “I strongly welcome the Council’s decision to adopt additional restrictive measures against Iran. These further measures demonstrate European Union’s unequivocal condemnation of the Iranian regime’s violent and disproportionate response to legitimate and peaceful protests, which constitutes a grave violation of fundamental rights and human dignity. At the same time, these measures also reinforce our support for Ukraine by directly targeting Iran’s military assistance to Russia’s war of aggression. By restricting Iran’s capacity to provide military equipment and related technologies, the EU is acting to protect Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure which are intertwined with our own security interests.”