All the Iranian diplomats and representatives will be banned from the European Parliament’s premises as a response to Iran’s crackdown on protesters, the Parliament’s president, Roberta Metsola, announced on Monday. <\/p>\n
“This House will not aid in legitimising this regime that has sustained itself through torture, repression, and murder”, Metsola wrote on X.<\/p>\n
The ban will apply to all the Parliament\u2019s premises in Brussels, Strasbourg, and Luxembourg, and will remain in place until revoked by another president’s decision.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, the European Union is prepared<\/a> to push for fresh sanctions on the country after the repression of the protesters.<\/p>\n Earlier on Monday, a European Commission spokesperson confirmed that Brussels was working on \u201cnew, more severe\u201d sanctions against the Iranian regime using a \u201cdedicated legal framework\u201d to target individuals and entities accused of \u201cserious human rights violations and abuses\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a decision for member states to take unanimously,\u201d the Commission spokesperson said.<\/p>\n They also noted that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a heavily armed force under the Ayatollah\u2019s direct command, was already under EU sanctions but had not yet been designated as a terrorist organisation, an issue that has been discussed for years.<\/p>\n Under current rules, adding a new person or entity to the bloc\u2019s terrorist list requires a decision issued by a judicial body in one of the 27 member states.<\/p>\n In late 2024, EU officials found the legal basis<\/a> in a ruling issued by the D\u00fcsseldorf Higher Regional Court that found the 2022 attack against the Bochum synagogue in western Germany had been initiated by an Iranian state agency.<\/p>\n Despite the breakthrough, the discussion stalled, and there was never any follow-up decision.<\/p>\n Germany, France, and the Netherlands are among the member states that have previously expressed support<\/a> for the move. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Parliament have also backed the idea.<\/p>\n The US and Canada already officially categorise the IRGC as a terrorist entity.<\/p>\n The EU’s statements and latest discussions come as Iran\u2019s death toll continues to rise following demonstrations that erupted on 28 December over the collapse of the Iranian rial.<\/p>\n