The Vienna-based European Stop the Bomb coalition has urged the cancellation of a planned trip by a delegation of the European parliament to Iran, according to the European Jewish Press.
The Stop the Bomb coalition campaigns for tough economic and political sanctions against the Iranian regime.
The five-day trip by the 15-member delegation from six countries is scheduled for October 27, and the visit was described as “humanitarian.”
"Considering the given situation, in which the Iranian regime unwaveringly cherishes its nuclear program, continuously repeats its threats of annihilation towards Israel, represses by brute force every movement of the opposition in Iran and directly participates in quelling the protests in Syria, this visit would set the worst signal possible and subvert the Iranian opposition," the organization said in a statement.
"We urge the conference of Presidents to prohibit courting the Iranian Regime as they did in 2011. This trip entirely contradicts the spirit of the European Union's sanctions and it thwarts the recent decisions by the EU member states. Instead of increasing pressure on Tehran, this trip offers the regime the possibility to celebrate yet another propaganda success," said Simone Dinah Hartmann, Stop the Bomb spokesperson for Europe in a message to Martin Schultz, President of the European parliament.
Diplomatic sources in Jerusalem told Voice of Israel government radio Tuesday that the visit means that the EU is sending a contradictory message to Tehran: On the one hand the EU just imposed new sanctions on the Islamic Republic, and on the other hand it is attempting to hold a political dialogue with the regime of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu praised the EU for the latest round of sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic.