MEPs condemn Iran’s attack on Israel, call for de-escalation
Members of the European Parliament have adopted a resolution strongly condemning the recent Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel and calling for further sanctions against Iran.
Condemning the Iranian strikes on April 13 and 14, the European Parliament voiced serious concern over the escalation and threat to regional security.
MEPs reiterated 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 deplored the attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus on April 1, which is widely attributed to Israel, though Israel has offered visual evidence that the attack was on adjoining premises.
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.
While calling on all parties to avoid any further escalation and to show maximum restraint, the European Parliament expresse deep concerns over the destabilising role that the Iranian regime and its network of non-state actors play in the Middle East.
MEPs welcomed 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 demanded that these sanctions be urgently put in place and call for more individuals and entities to be targeted.
The resolution also reiterated the European Parliament’s long-standing call to include Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the EU list of terrorist organisations, emphasising that such a decision is long overdue due to malign Iranian activities.
It similarly called on the Council of the EU and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to add Hezbollah in its entirety to the same list.
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 urged the Iranian authorities to immediately abide by these requirements and address all related outstanding issues.
They also condemned Iran’s use of hostage diplomacy – keeping foreign nationals jailed as bargaining chips – and urged 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 welcomed the Council of the EU’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.
The resolution was adopted on April 25 with 357 votes in favour, 20 against and 58 abstentions.
(Photo: European Parliament)
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