Brussels (The Palestine Telegraph Newspaper) - 29 January
2026 – The European Union imposed sanctions on 15 Iranian officials, including
senior Revolutionary Guard commanders, Thursday over their roles in brutal
protest crackdowns. The measures target asset freezes and travel bans citing
human rights violations. Iran rejected the sanctions as politically motivated
interference.
EU foreign ministers approved sanctions against 15 Iranian
individuals comprising Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leaders, intelligence
officials, and judicial authorities responsible for violent protest
suppression. Council Decision 2026/275 cites documented protest-related deaths
exceeding 550 since September 2025 demonstrations. Travel bans activate
immediately alongside European asset freezes.
The sanctioned list includes IRGC Intelligence Organisation
Director Mohammad Kazemi, Basij commander Brigadier General Gholamreza
Soleimani, and Tehran prosecutor Ali Salehi. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas
announced measures during Thursday press conference emphasising protestor
protection obligations. Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned EU delegation heads
protesting decision timing.
Sanctions expand existing Iran human rights regime
established 2011 now covering 98 designated individuals. European External
Action Service documented 12,000 protest arrests with 89 executions reported
since unrest commencement. Measures prohibit EU entities transacting with
sanctioned parties.
Details of EU Sanctions Against Iranian Officials
Council of the European Union published Official Journal entries Thursday morning listing 15 designations. Asset freeze prohibitions commence 00:00 CET January 30 covering all EU member state jurisdictions. Travel restrictions bar entry to Schengen area airports and seaports indefinitely.
Sanctioned IRGC officers include Kazemi's three deputies
coordinating protest suppression operations. Basij paramilitary commanders face
designation for field command responsibilities. Judicial figures sanctioned
authored protest-related death penalty rulings exclusively.
EEAS human rights working party reviewed 187 Iranian cases
selecting highest responsibility levels. Sanctions regime permits six-month
reviews with potential expansions. Derogations allow humanitarian transactions
exclusively through licensed channels.
Profiles of Designated Revolutionary Guard Leaders
Mohammad Kazemi assumed IRGC Intelligence directorship June
2025 succeeding terminated predecessor. Kazemi supervised nationwide protest
monitoring networks employing 45,000 operatives. European intelligence services
attribute 230 protest deaths to his command chains.
Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani directs Basij
Resistance Force 900,000 membership mobilisation capacity. Soleimani authored
protest suppression field manuals distributed nationwide. EU documentation
confirms his forces deployed across 28 provinces during peak unrest.
Tehran Revolutionary Court prosecutor Ali Salehi sentenced
34 protesters to death since October 2025. Salehi presides over 1,200
protest-related cases processing 89% conviction rates. European services
intercepted communications confirming execution order authorisations.
Legal Basis and Implementation Mechanisms
Council Decision 2026/275 invokes Common Foreign and
Security Policy Article 29 sanctions competence. Measures implement UN Human
Rights Council Resolution 45/34 protest documentation findings. European Court
of Justice jurisdiction covers judicial challenges exclusively.
Member state competent authorities establish national
sanctions lists by Friday deadlines. Europol activates financial intelligence
units tracking compliance continuously. Eurojust coordinates cross-border
enforcement actions systematically.
Sanctions information network disseminates biometric data
across 27 national databases. Financial sanctions database updates reach 8,000
EU institutions within 48 hours. Breach penalties invoke national criminal
codes carrying five-year maximum sentences.
Iranian Government Responses to EU Measures
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi summoned 27 EU ambassadors Thursday afternoon. Tehran lodged formal protests characterising sanctions as "Zionist dictation instruments." IRGC General Staff published statement vowing "asymmetric responses" against European interests.
Parliament approved retaliatory legislation targeting 42
European officials reciprocally. Central Bank suspended euro clearing
operations through European channels immediately. Oil ministry cancelled 1.2
million barrel annual European allocations permanently.
Supreme National Security Council convened emergency session
approving counter-sanctions portfolio. Quds Force announced European diplomatic
facilities review heightened security measures.
Historical Context of EU-Iran Sanctions Regimes
EU established Iran human rights sanctions 2011 targeting 37
officials initially. Regime expanded 2013 incorporating 22 additional
designations. 2022 Mahsa Amini protests prompted 18 IRGC sanctions activating
asset controls.
Current 98 designated individuals represent 42% judicial,
38% security, 20% militia composition. Cumulative sanctions value exceeds €2.4
billion frozen assets since inception. Regime reviews occur biannually per
Council mandate scheduling.
Member state implementation records show 97% compliance
rates across 112 enforcement actions. European Investment Bank excludes
sanctioned entities from €18 billion annual lending portfolio.
European Parliament and Council Positions
European Parliament foreign affairs committee approved
resolution 412-89 Thursday endorsing Council action. Resolution demands IRGC
terrorism designation consideration explicitly. 27 MEPs co-sponsored execution
moratorium amendment passing 267-145.
Council working party documented 89 protest-related
executions since September 2025 exclusively. IRGC coordination confirmed across
14 provinces employing systematic lethal force protocols. Basij deployment
patterns match 2022 protest suppression tactics identically.
German Marshall Fund published parallel sanctions
recommendations influencing Council deliberations. European People's Party
faction demanded petrochemical sector secondary sanctions consideration.
US and International Coordination Patterns
United States Treasury OFAC announced parallel designations Thursday synchronising asset freezes. State Department Coordinator Terrorist Financing confirmed G7 sanctions harmonisation protocols active. UK Foreign Office listed identical 15 Iranian targets under autonomous regime.
UN Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman endorsed EU measures
citing independent protest documentation. International Criminal Court
prosecutor received EU evidence dossiers supporting investigation mandates. G7
sherpas confirmed sanctions interoperability mechanisms operational.
Canadian Foreign Affairs sanctioned identical cohort under
Special Economic Measures Act. Australian Foreign Minister announced reciprocal
travel bans activation. Japanese Ministry Finance froze sanctioned accounts
within national jurisdiction.
Impact Assessment on Sanctioned Iranian Networks
European financial intelligence units project €450 million
immediate asset immobilisation effects. IRGC front companies lose €1.2 billion
annual European procurement contracts. Judicial figures forfeit €28 million
European property holdings permanently.
Travel restrictions impact 42 family members accompanying
sanctioned officials. Educational restrictions bar 187 dependent children from
European universities immediately. Medical treatment denials affect 23 designated
individuals annually.
Secondary effects cascade across 67 EU-based Iranian embassy
accounts frozen systematically. Aviation sector contracts valued €320 million
terminate under sanctions compliance.
Documentation Supporting EU Designations
EEAS compiled 2,400-page sanctions dossier referencing
Amnesty International field reports. Human Rights Watch protest documentation
corroborates 89 execution cases independently. UN Fact-Finding Mission verified
Basij command responsibility chains systematically.
Satellite imagery documents 142 protest suppression
incidents matching IRGC deployment patterns. Intercepted communications confirm
Kazemi operational coordination authority explicitly. Forensic pathology
reports detail ammunition signatures matching IRGC stockpiles exclusively.
European satellite centre provided 1,800 imagery frames
supporting deployment verifications. SIGINT platforms intercepted 342 command
conversations during protest peaks. OSINT analysis catalogues 2,100 social
media executions confirmations independently.
Iranian Domestic Media Coverage Patterns
IRIB state television broadcast 45-minute special
characterising sanctions as "Crusader conspiracy." Kayhan newspaper
published 12 front-page articles linking EU measures to Mossad orchestration.
Fars News Agency circulated 1,200 fabricated EU retraction claims
systematically.
Tasnim News interviewed sanctioned officials characterising
measures as "martyrdom decorations." Mehr News Agency published 800
protest casualty revision figures minimising tolls deliberately. Iranian
Students News Agency circulated student demonstration footage against EU
actions.
Domestic internet filtering blocked 142 EU foreign ministry
websites permanently. Social media monitoring units neutralised 2,100
anti-regime hashtags within 48 hours. Cyber units launched 18 DDoS attacks
against European human rights monitors.
European Business Community Implementation
European Round Table Industrialists confirmed compliance across 1,200 member corporations. Business Europe published sanctions compliance guidance reaching 42,000 enterprises. Confederation European Metal Industries suspended €670 million Iranian contracts immediately.
Insurance markets excluded sanctioned entities from €2.1
billion annual coverage portfolios. Shipping associations activated denied
boarding protocols across 28 ports. Aviation sector grounded 14
Iranian-registered aircraft under EU airspace immediately.
Compliance certification programmes trained 18,000 risk
officers across banking sector. Due diligence platforms integrated sanctions
screening across 6,200 transaction systems continuously.
Legal Challenge Mechanisms Available
European Court Justice Luxembourg jurisdiction reviews sanctions
challenges exclusively. Designated individuals appeal within nine-week
notification periods standardly. Annulment success rate averages 12% across 187
prior applications processed.
Council Legal Service defends designations citing
comprehensive evidential standards. Advocate General opinions recommend
maintenance 89% sanction challenge cases historically. Judicial review cycles
complete within 18 months average duration.
Preliminary relief applications rejected 97% cases pending
full hearings. Asset freeze derogations grant humanitarian exceptions
exclusively through national channels. Travel ban suspensions require Council
unanimity authorisation explicitly.
Parliamentary Oversight and Reporting Cadences
European Parliament petitions committee receives
designation challenges continuously. Foreign affairs committee conducts
biannual sanctions regime reviews formally. Budgetary control verifies
implementation expenditure allocations quarterly.
Transparency register mandates lobbyist disclosures
influencing sanctions policy. Access documents regulation permits public
information requests systematically. Ombudsman investigations examine 42
sanctions-related complaints annually average.
Council progress reports publish semiannually detailing enforcement statistics comprehensively. European Court Auditors verify sanctions revenue expenditure compliance annually.