Iran retaliates for EU sanctions over protests

Shafaq News/ Iran announces sanctions targeting individuals and institutions in the European Union in retaliation for measures on police over the latest protests.

Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs "strongly rejects and condemns the move by the Council of the European Union on October 17, 2022, to enforce illegal restrictive measures against Iranian individuals and institutions based on baseless accusations, which is an explicit example of interference in the internal affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran." The ministry said in a statement.

Tehran introduced the sanctions against eight institutions and 12 individuals based in the EU for "supporting terrorist groups," "inciting violence," and "provoking riots, violence, and terrorist acts" in Iran.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the following institutions will be placed under sanctions:

-  The so-called "Friends of Iran" group and its members at the European Parliament

-  The International Committee in Search of Justice (ISJ) and its members

-  Stop the Bomb organization

-  Deutsche Welle Persian

-  RFI Persian

- France's International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA)

- Germany's Karl Kolb Co., the provider of chemical weapons to the regime of Saddam Hussein

- Germany's Rhein Bayern Fahrzeugbau Co., the provider of chemical agents to the regime of Saddam Hussein.

The following individuals will be placed under sanctions:

-  President of the International Committee in Search of Justice Alejo Vidal-Quadras

-  Javier Zarzalejos, co-chair of the so-called "Friends of Free Iran" intergroup at the European Parliament

-  Milan Azver, co-chair of the so-called "Friends of Free Iran" intergroup at the European Parliament

-  Member of the European Parliament Charlier Weimers

-  Member of the European Parliament Jan Zahradil

-  Member of the European Parliament Helmut Geuking

-  Member of the European Parliament Hermann Tertsch

-  Meyer Habib, member of the French National Assembly

-  Martine Valleton, mayor of Villepinte, France

-  Jean Francois Legaret, former mayor of 1st arrondissement of Paris

-  Johannes Boie, chief editor of Germany's Bild newspaper

-  Alexandra Würzbach, chief editor of Germany's Bild newspaper

"The said sanctions include bans on the issuance of visas and bans on the entry of the said individuals to the Islamic Republic of Iran and the confiscation of their properties in the territory subject to the jurisdiction of the Islamic Republic of Iran. All institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran will take necessary action to enforce these sanctions as per the ratifications of pertinent authorities." The statement added.

Last week, the European Union imposed sanctions against the Iranian morality police and 11 officials, including the telecommunications minister, for being "involved in repressing the protests."

Later, Tehran retaliated by blacklisting British entities and individuals, days after the UK imposed sanctions.