Britain, EU, US Sanctioning Iran

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

TEHRAN/BRUSSELS/LONDON (Worthy News) – Britain, the European Union, and the United States imposed new sanctions on Iran’s feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), officials, and a mobile telecommunications provider held responsible for human rights violations.

“The UK, US, and EU are today announcing further sanctions on Iranian regime officials responsible for human rights violations,” the British government announced.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced a travel ban and assets freeze on at least four individuals and the IRGC “in its entirety.”

The European Council, which brings together the bloc’s member countries, said it targeted eight Iranian individuals.

The Council added to its sanctions list Iranian legislators, members of the IRCG, and its Cooperative Foundation – the body responsible for managing the IRGC’s investments.

The sanctions come after months of violent suppression of anti-government protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, a Kurdish Iranian.

She died in a hospital on September 16 after being detained for allegedly breaking the laws governing the strict Islamic dress code.

HIJAB SYMBOL

Following her death, the hijab became a symbol of official repression, with women and girls defiantly removing their headscarves in public.

Executions and other force killed at least hundreds while the government announced last week renewed emphasis on women’s dress codes.

Islamic authorities have also continued to crack down on minorities such as devoted Christians and those turning away from Islam, several sources say.

On Monday, the EU urged “the Iranian authorities to stop any form of violent crackdown against peaceful protests, cease their resort to arbitrary detentions as a means of silencing critical voices, and release all those unjustly detained.”

Like Britain, it was also sanctioning Ariantel, a company that “contributed to the telecommunications surveillance architecture mapped out by the Iranian government to quash dissent and critical voices in Iran.”

The EU stressed that it also called “on Iran to end the practice of imposing and carrying out death sentences against protesters, reverse the death penalty sentences pronounced, as well as provide due process to all detainees.”

It added that Iran should also “end the distressing practice of detaining foreign civilians with a view to making political gains.”

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