“It’s always about solving the crimes of the Iranian regime,” said the German Chancellor.
(Photo: AP)
Berlin Chancellor Olaf Scholz calls for EU sanctions against the leadership in Iran because of the violent crackdown on demonstrators. “We want to further increase the pressure on the Revolutionary Guards and the political leadership,” said Scholz in his video podcast on Saturday. “Further sanctions are to be added next week. We support the collection of evidence so that the perpetrators are held accountable,” added the Chancellor.
Anyone who shoots at their own population must expect resistance from Germany, said Scholz. The federal government is also pushing for a special session of the UN Human Rights Council. “It’s always about solving the crimes of the Iranian regime.”
Scholz thus sided more clearly than before with the demonstrators in Iran, who are protesting against repression and violence by the Islamic system of rule. Taking off headscarves, for example, has become a symbol.
“But I say to the demonstrators and the citizens with Iranian roots here: We stand for everything you demand: for human rights and women’s rights. We stand by the Iranian people,” emphasized the SPD politician.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Tehran has sharply criticized Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) for his statements on the violent crackdown on demonstrators in Iran. “The German Chancellor’s remarks were provocative, meddling and undiplomatic,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Sunday.
Green leader Nouripour calls for the Revolutionary Guards to be put on the terror list
Sabotage an historical relationship could do “long-term damage,” in Canaani’s words, so Berlin should act more responsibly and respectfully toward Iran. “We recommend that the federal government return to prudence in order to avoid further confusion in bilateral relations,” the spokesman said, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry website.
Green leader Omid Nouripour has called on the European Union to put the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on its list of terrorist organizations. “When I ask the demonstrators in Iran how we can help, they say: The people who kill our children should not be allowed to send their children to Europe to party,” Nouripour told the “Bild am Sonntag”. “For this, the accounts that finance the partying have to be frozen. The EU should put the Revolutionary Guards, the main agents of repression, on its terror list,” he demanded.
The United States had already classified the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization in 2019 under then-President Donald Trump. On the other hand, they are not on a corresponding EU list. Such a classification would enable EU states to freeze any assets of the organization that may exist in the EU.
The Revolutionary Guards are the elite unit of the armed forces in Iran and far more important than the classic army. They report directly to the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all strategic matters.
The nationwide protests in Iran were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The Kurd died in police custody on September 16. The so-called morality police had arrested her because she is said to have violated Islamic dress codes. So far, more than 300 people are said to have been killed in the protests.
More: Iranian revolutionary leader Khomeini’s grandson calls for reforms