Why European Council adopts new Iran sanction?
The Council adopts new sanctions over serious human rights violations and Iran’s continued support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
The Council decided on Thursday, January 29, to impose restrictive measures related to serious human rights violations in Iran and Iran’s continued military support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Human rights violations in Iran
The Council decided to impose restrictive measures on an additional 15 persons and six entities responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran, following the violent repression of peaceful protests, including the use of violence, arbitrary detention, and intimidation tactics by security forces against demonstrators.
The EU is in particular imposing restrictive measures on Eskandar Momeni, Iran’s Minister of the Interior and Head of the National Security Council, and members of Iran’s judicial system including Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, the Prosecutor General, and Iman Afshari, a presiding judge. In addition, today’s listings cover a number of IRGC commanders and high ranking officers of the police and the Law Enforcement Force (LEF).
They were all involved in the violent repression of peaceful protests and the arbitrary arrest of political activists and human rights defenders.
The entities listed include among others the Iranian Audio-Visual Media Regulatory Authority (SATRA), Seraj Cyberspace Organization, the Working Group for Determining Instances of Criminal Content (WGDICC) and several software companies.
These entities were involved in censoring activities, trolling campaigns on social media, spreading disinformation and misinformation online, or contributed to the widespread disruption of access to the internet by developing surveillance and repression tools.
Restrictive measures related to human rights violations in Iran now apply to a total of 247 individuals and 50 entities.
They consist of an asset freeze, travel bans to the EU, and a prohibition to make funds or economic resources available to those listed. A ban on exports to Iran of equipment that might be used for internal repression, including equipment for monitoring telecommunications, is also in place.
The EU expresses its solidarity with the Iranian people as they voice their legitimate aspiration for freedom and dignity, and for a future where their universal human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected, protected and fulfilled.
Iran’s support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine
Iran’s military supports to Russia’s war of aggression continues to pose a direct threat to EU security.
The Council also imposed restrictive measures on four persons and six entities under the EU dedicated sanctions regime, with a specific focus on the Iranian state-sponsored programme for the development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The listings include Khojir Missile Development and Production, a leading entity in Iran’s ballistic missile programme, and Sahara Thunder, an Iranian import-export trading company which acts as a front company for the Iranian Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. The Council is also sanctioning other private companies supplying critical components to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or having links to entities involved in Iran’s missile programme.
The individuals listed include businessmen, CEOs and shareholders of private companies who are involved in the development and production of Iran’s ballistic missiles and are therefore engaged in Iran’s missile or UAV programme.
The decision brings the total number of those sanctioned under this regime to 24 individuals and 26 entities. The sanctions regime was last extended until 27 July 2026.
Finally, the Council decided to extend the prohibition on the export, sale, transfer or supply from the EU to Iran to include further components and technologies used in the development and production of UAVs and missiles.
This applies to special materials and related equipment, including energetic materials and mixtures thereof, materials processing, electronics, computers, telecommunications and information security, sensors and lasers, navigation and avionics, aerospace and propulsion as well as technology, designed or specifically adapted for the test, development or production of drones and missiles.
The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Background
The EU introduced in 2011 a regime consisting of restrictive measures specifically targeting human rights violations and abuses in Iran, that have been renewed annually since and last extended until 13 of April 2026. Since 2022, the EU has drastically increased restrictive measures, adopting multiple packages of sanctions in the context of growing concerns about the human rights situation in Iran.
On 9 January 2026, the HR issued a statement on behalf of the EU condemning the use of violence, arbitrary detention and intimidation tactics by security forces against demonstrators in Iran.
The statement also called for all individuals unjustly detained for exercising their fundamental rights to be released immediately and urged Iranian authorities to adhere to Iran’s international obligations and fully uphold the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, as well as for ensuring the right of access to information, including by restoring access to the internet for all.
Furthermore, on 20 July 2023, the Council established a dedicated framework for sanctions in view of Iran’s military support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
The scope of the framework was broadened on 14 May 2024, in view of Iran’s military support to armed groups in the Middle East and Red Sea region and of the drone and missile attacks Iran carried out against Israel in April 2024.
