Parliament condemns Iran’s attack on Israel and calls for de-escalation

In a resolution adopted on Thursday, MEPs strongly condemn the recent Iran’s attack on Israel with drones and missiles and call for further sanctions against Iran.

Condemning the Iranian strikes on 13 and 14 April, Parliament voices serious concern over the escalation and threat to regional security. MEPs reiterate their full support for the security of the State of Israel and its citizens and condemn the simultaneous rocket launches carried out by Iran’s proxies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi rebels in Yemen against the Golan Heights and Israeli territory before and during the Iranian attack.

At the same time, they deplore the attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus on 1 April, which is widely attributed to Israel. The resolution recalls the importance of the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises, which must be respected in all cases under international law.

Need for de-escalation, put Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on EU terror list

While calling on all parties to avoid any further escalation and to show maximum restraint, Parliament expresses deep concerns over the destabilising role that the Iranian regime and its network of non-state actors play in the Middle East. MEPs welcome the EU’s decision to expand its current sanctions regime against Iran, including by sanctioning the country’s supply and production of unmanned drones and missiles to Russia and the wider Middle East. They demand that these sanctions be urgently put in place and call for more individuals and entities to be targeted.

The resolution also reiterates Parliament’s long-standing call to include Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the EU list of terrorist organisations, stressing that such a decision is long overdue due to malign Iranian activities. It similarly calls on the Council and EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell to add Hezbollah in its entirety to the same list.

Iran must abide by its obligations under the country’s nuclear deal

With Iran persistently failing to comply with its legal safeguard obligations under its nuclear deal – formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – MEPs urge the Iranian authorities to immediately abide by these requirements and address all related outstanding issues. They also condemn Iran’s use of hostage diplomacy – keeping foreign nationals jailed as bargaining chips – and urge the EU to launch a strategy to counter it with a dedicated task force to better assist detainees’ families and effectively prevent further hostage-taking.

The resolution finally welcomes the Council’s decision to launch the EU Naval Force Operation ASPIDES to safeguard freedom of navigation off the coast of Yemen, while calling on Iran and entities under its control to ensure the release and safe return of captured European crewmembers taken from vessels passing in the region.

For the full details, the resolution, adopted by 357 votes in favour, 20 against with 58 abstentions, will be available in full here (25.04.2024).