The European Parliament will bar Iranian diplomats from entering any of its facilities in response to the Tehran regime’s violent crackdown on protesters demanding an end to decades of religious rule, Politico reports.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced the decision in a letter to MEPs on Monday, according to the report. The ban applies to all Parliament buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg, where plenary debates are held, as well as its secretariat in Luxembourg.
Under the new policy, anyone holding an Iranian passport will be checked at the entrance, and those identified as working for the regime will be denied access immediately. “The people of Iran can continue to rely on this Parliament for support, solidarity, and action," Metsola wrote in her letter, seen by Politico.
The move comes amid mounting international condemnation of Tehran’s response to massive demonstrations that have swept the country over the past two weeks. Over the weekend, Metsola signaled that additional EU sanctions were possible, voicing support for demonstrators calling for an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule. The bloc’s diplomatic service is now formally considering new measures.
Despite growing pressure, the EU continues to face questions about what concrete steps it will take as the crisis escalates. Metsola stressed that symbolic gestures are not enough.
“Those braving the streets, those political prisoners still detained, need more than just solidarity," she said. “I have taken the decision to ban all diplomats, staff of diplomatic missions, government officials and representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from entering any premises of the European Parliament."
Among the proposals gaining traction is the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and the expansion of EU sanctions “to cover all those individuals engaging in repression, violence, and executions," Metsola wrote.
According to US-based rights group HRANA, at least 572 people have been killed and more than 10,000 arrested since protests began on December 28.
However, Iran International reported on the weekend that the death toll could be even higher, saying that even the most conservative estimates indicate that at least 2,000 people had been killed over 48 hours.