Brussels, Jan 23, (dpa/GNA) – European Union foreign ministers are to give formal approval in Brussels on Monday, to new sanctions on Iran, and a new EU observer mission for Armenia and Azerbaijan.
EU diplomats confirmed to dpa that more than three dozen Iranian individuals and organizations, are to be targeted in response to serious human rights violations.
Tehran has cracked down on demonstrations, including recent executions of protesters, triggered by the death of an Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody, after her arrest for allegedly violating strict Islamic dress codes.
The sanctions decision comes as EU member states, debate listing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the EU’s terrorism list, which is legally challenging.
The EU has adopted three previous rounds of Iran sanctions for human rights violations, since protests began last year, with 146 individuals and 12 organizations targeted, including IRGC members.
The 27 EU foreign ministers are to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. A decision to send another €500 million ($541 million) in military aid for Kiev is under consideration.
EU foreign ministers will also discuss the security situation in the Sahel in North Africa, the bloc’s approach to Venezuela after recent elections in Brazil and Colombia, and the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
GNA