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European Union imposes new Sanctions on Iran

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The European Union has imposed sanctions on Iran in response to a series of attacks on Iranian dissidents in Europe.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry said: “Iran was involved in the assassinations of two Dutch nationals of Iranian origin.” Two Iranian diplomats were expelled in June after the attacks. Ambassadors from EU nations visited the Iranian Foreign Ministry in Tehran yesterday, to express their concern about Iran’s behaviour, but confirmed that the assassination plots and the Iran nuclear deal would be treated as separate issues.

In a statement released yesterday afternoon the Foreign Office said: “The UK and a number of European partners today jointly raised with Iran our deep concerns about hostile activities and plots being planned and perpetrated in Europe. Such actions are unacceptable and must have consequences.”

The new sanctions are aimed at assets and individuals of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security. An intelligence unit of the ministry and two individuals will be placed on the EU terrorist list.

In December 2015, Ali Motamed, 56, was found shot in Almere. The Dutch authorities later determined that Motamed was actually Mohammad Reza Kolahi Samadi, an M.E.K. member sentenced by Iran to death for involvement in a 1981 bombing that killed 73 people in Tehran. The second victim, Ahmad Mola Nissi was shot in The Hague in 2017. Mola Nissi was the leader of the Arab Struggle movement for the liberation of al-Ahvaz, an armed Iranian opposition group accused of carrying out several bomb attacks in Iran, including on a military parade in September 2018 that killed 25 people.

Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Zarif said on Twitter: “Accusing Iran won’t absolve Europe of responsibility for harbouring terrorists”.

Iran has also been accused of trying to kill Iranian dissidents elsewhere in Europe, including on Danish soil. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said: “Very encouraging that EU has just agreed on new targeted sanctions against Iran in response to hostile activities and plots being planned and perpetrated in Europe, including Denmark.”