How will the EU punish Iran after the latest attacks?

This article was originally published in Farsi

Hannah Neumann She is the head of the delegation for relations with Iran in the European Parliament. She is German and knows Iranian issues well, she follows them closely. He assures that during his time as head of the Commission on Relations with Iran He will try to communicate not only with the Iranian parliament, but also with the Iranian people who want change and lasting peace.

She is known for her criticism of Josep Borrell’s policies on Iran. He considers that he is too conservative in his vision against that country. In the ‘Euronews Farsi’ interview with Neumann we talked about the inclusion of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on a list of terrorist groups, the execution of Jashmid Sharmahd, the status of the suspension of the case of Elahe Mohammadi and Niloofar Hamidithe boycott of IranAir, Europe’s connection with Masoud Pezarekian and a possible war between Iran and Israel.

In the conversation, he emphasized that the EU security agencies They have enough documentation to prove that the airline IranAir used their planes to send military equipment to the Houthis in Yemen, Syria and some other war points.

QUESTION: The Parliament of Lithuania has declared the IRGC a terrorist organization. Do you think the EU would also follow that path? What is your position on this?

ANSWER: The reality is that the IRGC is scaring its own people in Iran or in the region. That is why now is the perfect time to include the Corps’ name on the list of terrorist groups. I am pleased that the Lithuanian Parliament has adopted such a resolution and I hope that the European Union will also do so soon. Fortunately, in the European Parliament there is a majority agreement on this topic. However, among EU countries the path is a little more difficult.

Q: You have repeatedly criticized Josep Borrell’s positions in this regard, how do you evaluate the positions of Borrell’s successor?

A: The fact is that Josep Borrell, the head of the European Union’s Foreign Policy department, never made that decision one of his key issues, but I hope that Kaja Kallas, the new head, will take a different path.

Q: How did you see her in your meeting with Mrs. Kallas? Some say that, given Russia’s military incursion into Ukraine, perhaps the EU’s attention will be more focused on Ukraine and not the Middle East.

What was discussed in question and answer form with Ms. Kallas at our recent meeting is confidential. However, at the public meeting we will soon hold with them in the European Parliament, some of the same issues will be raised and the publication of the content will also be undisputed and public.

However, I must emphasize that what I have discovered is that Ms. Callas has a great ability to deal with Middle East issues and is less conservative in this sense than Borrell.

Q: How do you assess the election of Masoud Pehedekian as the new president of Iran and what will be Europe’s relationship with him?

A: Many in the European Union said that we should wait and see what kind of decisions and behaviors they adopt. He is going to New York to talk about positive things, but he is doing something different in practice and supporting terrorist groups in the region. Your words are not the same as your actions. We saw this in the recent execution of an Iranian-German citizen.

The execution of Jamshid Sharmahd showed what his actions were and our action, that of Europe, must be the most energetic and we must include the IRGC on the list of terrorist groups. They are a terrorist organization and we must treat them as such.

Q: What do you think of the situation of Elahe Mohammadi and Niloofar Hamedi, two Iranian journalists?

A: They have just done their job. They are powerful journalists who have written to inform and raise awareness in their community about the facts. However, the Government has tried to silence the voices of journalists.

The regime has carried out a psychological warfare operation against them by imprisoning and then expelling and suspending these two journalistss. It has pushed them to adopt psychological dimensions and has encouraged Schenkje to convey to his opponents and critics the message that if they challenge us we will break them physically or spiritually.

The two journalists have been placed on suspension. They do not know when they will return to prison or how long they will be free.. What the Iranian regime is committing is, in fact, an atrocious form of spiritual torture. We, in turn, will continue to raise public awareness about this difficult situation. And the same goes for so many other journalists like these two who seek the truth in this country and want all the sentences imposed against journalists to be lifted.

P:How do you assess the bill on headscarves approved by the Iranian Parliament?

A: I don’t know how afraid the regime is that it will pass laws one after another to control women’s bodies. The subject of this law is the control and oppression of women. The approval of this law is another setback in issues related to women’s rights. This law has nothing to do with defending important community values, but rather is a tool of repression.

The regime has used the ‘hijab’ as a tool and symbol to systematically repress women and consolidate its power in recent decades. In fact, laws related to the ‘hijab’ emphasize the exclusion of women and the deprivation of women’s basic rights. They have deprived women of the right to choose the life they want to live.

Parliament’s resolution is not only linked to a single item of women’s clothing, but also takes aim at women’s ability to choose. In fact, the Iranian regime abuses the ‘hijab‘ as a tool to further reduce its influence on women’s bodies and lives.

Q: How do you see the situation in the Middle East? We have seen Iranian missile attacks against Israel and recently Israel has attacked positions in Iran. What is Europe’s position on this matter?

A: Many in the region want peace. Not to mention the Israeli people who have taken to the streets to demonstrate in favor of peace against their own Government. There are even Palestinian families who are resentful of what Hamas has done. Especially people who want peace and They want to stop the bombings in Lebanon. And how many Iranian citizens, during the recent Iranian attack on Israel, have sent their Israeli brothers and sisters a message of empathy and companionship.

Many are concerned about the conditions and many want nothing more in the region than peace. This is exactly the position that I believe the EU should adopt and support.

It remains to be seen how it can be sanction institutions and people and, at the same time, support those who promote peaceful activities in the face of repression and those who have suffered more harm than others, whether in Gaza and Lebanon or in many other war-torn regions of the Middle East. Those who need human rights assistance. What I say has nothing to do with taking sides, I emphasize promoting peace.

Q: The IranAir embargo has also deprived some Iranians of the ability to travel with the airline. Could you explain to our audience what data the European boycott of IranAir was based on?

A: The European Union’s security services have obtained accurate and credible information showing how IranAir transported military equipment with its aircraft to some war zones. In the same context, reference can be made to arms shipment to Russia. What the Russians are using in their deadly war against Ukraine.

The airline has been transporting military equipment for Bashar al-Assad’s regime in order to crush its own people. Additionally, there is also documentation of IranAir sending military equipment to the Houthis in Yemen. We want this process to stop because the people of all these areas want nothing more than peace.

Q: What objectives do you pursue with these sanctions?

A: With the imposition of these sanctions, we want to ensure that IranAir can no longer supply or maintain spare parts for its aircraft and can purchase new aircraft.

Q: Some ordinary people complain about this European decision. For years they relied on traveling with IranAir.

A: Yes, I know this has been a problem for some Iranian citizens. They had gotten used to traveling with IranAir to the United States and Europe for years. That is why I emphasize that we must all take joint measures against Iran to stop this regime’s repression.