A further 37 Iranians and Iranian organizations are now placed on the EU’s sanctions list due to the brutal action against protesters in the past six months.
A clear marking, the foreign minister believes.
— 37 people may sound like a little, but the fact is that this includes a number of commanders and elements of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, IRGC, from different provinces. They include senior politicians who have advocated the death penalty for protesters. These commanders are people who are sitting on resources and who are interested in being able to travel in and out of Iran, so it is clear that this type of sanctions hit much harder than the common man, says Tobias Billström (M) to TT and SR The echo during a break in Monday’s EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
No promises
The EU Parliament wants to go even further and last week voted through a resolution with demands to label the powerful Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. The EU Parliament does not have any power in the matter – but it was still enough to upset the rulers in Tehran, who protested loudly.
The Iranian opinion was presented by Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a telephone conversation with Billström on Friday – however without getting any promises that there will be no terrorist labeling.
— I have not promised Iran’s foreign minister that Sweden or the EU will not support the IRGC being listed under the EU’s terror sanctions. Sweden will continue to work for the strongest possible line against Iran in the EU through the tools that have the greatest impact, says Billström.
Terror connection?
At the same time, branding the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist is not something that can be done in the blink of an eye. Above all, a clear connection to terrorist acts or terrorist activities is needed.
— The Iranian Revolutionary Guard cannot be listed under terrorism sanctions solely for the MR violations that are going on in Iran, but there also needs to be a connection to terrorism and it is an important question in this context how this is defined, says Billström in Brussels.