Iran imposes retaliatory sanctions on EU, UK officials

Iran’s foreign ministry announced retaliatory sanctions on officials from the European Union and the United Kingdom. The sanctions are in response to the penalties issued by the bloc and the British government on Tehran for human rights violations and the crackdown on the ongoing protests.

The Iranian foreign ministry on Monday announced sanctions on nine entities and 23 individuals, including media institutions, a military base, as well as current and former politicians. The sanctions were also related to the assassination of the top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.

Tehran continued its targeting of foreign-based media organizations by blacklisting the Iran-focused branch of the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Farda, the Amsterdam-based Radio Zamaneh, and the French satire publication Charlie Hebdo.

Two German firms, Water Engineering Trade GmbH and Gidlemeister Projectka GmbH, were also blacklisted by Iran, citing that the companies assisted in producing chemical weapons used by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war. Former German lawmakers, as well as a French politician, doctor, and co-founder of the Medecins Sans Frontieres Bernard Kouchner, were also included.

Former German defense minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, and a commander of the German forces in Iraq and at the Ramstein air base were also sanctioned.

Iran blacklisted the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change as well as several current members of parliament aside from Geoffrey Bindman of the British Institute of Human Rights. The RAF Menwith Hill, the British Royal Air Force base in North Yorkshire, and British military and intelligence officials were also sanctioned for alleged involvement in the assassination of Soleimani.

The European Union has also, in turn, imposed sanctions on Iran for its crackdown on the ongoing protests as well as Tehran’s alleged involvement in producing drones for Russia in its war with Ukraine. Foreign ministers of the EU imposed sanctions on several clerical leaders, senior officials, and employees of top state media outlets over the new crackdowns on the anti-government protests.

20 individuals and one entity were sanctioned by the bloc for human rights abuses, while four more people and more entities were sanctioned for the drones being used by Russia to attack Ukraine.