EU to Impose New Sanctions on Iran, Diplomats Say

Voice of America News reports: “The European Union will add 37 individual entries to its sanctions against Iran on Monday, two European diplomats told Reuters, as the bloc works on listing Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.

‘We will adopt the fourth package of sanctions against Iran on Monday, and we believe we should already start working on the fifth one to list IRGC as a terrorist organization,’ said one of the sources, an EU diplomat.

The IRGC was set up shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the Shiite clerical ruling system and provide a counterweight to the regular armed forces. It has an estimated 125,000-strong military with army, navy and air units. It also commands the Basij religious militia, a volunteer paramilitary force loyal to the clerical establishment that is often used to crack down on anti-government protests.

Relations between EU member states and Tehran have deteriorated as efforts to revive nuclear talks have stalled. Tehran has also detained several European nationals, and the bloc has become increasingly critical of its continuing violent crackdown on protesters and the transfer of Iranian drones to Russia…”

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