Eight More Iranians, One Entity Sanctioned By EU Over Human Rights Violations

European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 1, 2023.
European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 1, 2023.

The European Council has imposed sanctions on eight more Iranians and one Iranian entity, citing human rights abuses.

In a press release on Monday the Council announced it will sanction Ariantel, an Iranian mobile carrier that contributed to the Iranian regime’s efforts to suppress critical voices and dissent.

Also included in the latest listings are lawmakers in the Iranian Parliament, members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the IRCG Cooperative Foundation, which manages the IRGC's investments and funnels money into the regime's brutal repression.

211 individuals and 35 entities are now subject to restrictions under the Council, including an asset freeze, a travel ban to the EU and a prohibition to make funds or economic resources available to those listed.

It is also forbidden to export equipment to Iran that could be used for internal repression or to monitor telecommunications.

The European Union has actively opposed Iran's violent crackdowns on peaceful protests which includes the use of arbitrary detentions as a means of silencing critical voices and has seen several protesters sentenced to death.

Other countries to have imposed sanctions on Iran following the crackdown on protesters since the uprising began in September following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, include Australia, the UK and Canada.

In a retaliatory move on Monday, the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement, announcing sanctions on more than 20 individuals and entities from the EU and the UK.