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B100069/2026
P10_TA(2026)0023
European Parliament resolution on the brutalBrutal repression against protesters in Iran
(2026/2565(RSP))
PE782.027
European Parliament resolution of 22 January 2026 on the brutal repression against protesters in Iran (2026/2565(RSP))
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Charter of the United Nations,
– having regard to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran,
– having regard to theits Universalresolution Declarationof 13 November 2025 on addressing transnational repression of Humanhuman Rights,rights defenders,
– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
– having regard to the statements by the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR), Kaja Kallas, following the violent crackdown in January 2026,
– having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015) on Iran Nuclear Issue,
– having regard to the awarding of the 2023 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in Iran,
– having regard to the decision by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, to ban all diplomatic staff and representatives of the Iranian regime from all Parliament premises,
– having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,
– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966,
– having regard to the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime,
– having regard to the EU guidelines on violence against women and girls and combating all forms of discrimination against them,
– having regard to the joint statement of 13 January 2026 by UN Special Rapporteurs and independent experts,
– having regard to the Charter of the United Nations,
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,
– having regard to the reports of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran,
– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the press release issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on 10 January 2026, entitled ‘Iran: UN Fact-Finding Mission calls for immediate restoration of internet access and adherence to international human rights law’,
A. whereas since 28 December 2025, a wave of nationwide protests has engulfed the Islamic Republic of Iran;
– having regard to Rules 136(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure,
B. whereas the protests initially started as a response to the collapse of the Iranian currency against the dollar, and discontent of merchants whose activities and profits were threatened, including by government economic reform;
A. whereas on 28 December 2025, demonstrations broke out in Iran and quickly developed into nationwide protests, with tens of thousands of Iranians pouring onto the streets across different cities and provinces as of 8 January 2026, rising to hundreds of thousands in the following days; whereas the demonstrations were initiated by bazaar merchants who closed their shops to protest against Iran’s faltering economy, their marginalisation within it, the collapse of the currency and the erosion of living standards, and they evolved into larger anti-government protests representing a wide spectrum of Iranian society, with demonstrators calling for fundamental political change and an end to the current regime;
C. whereas strike actions had been under way previously, for example, by drivers and workers in the oil industry;
B. whereas the demonstrations were initially spurred by deep-seated grievances over the disastrous state of the country’s economy, skyrocketing food prices, rising inflation and widespread corruption; whereas the Iranian regime has consistently failed to meet the basic needs of its population;
D. whereas these protests quickly broadened, expressing widespread discontent and criticism of the government, political repression and corruption;
C. whereas the Iranian security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the police, have carried out a systematic violent nationwide crackdown on protesters, using lethal force enabled by Chinese equipment and surveillance technology, and murdering and detaining thousands of peaceful demonstrators; whereas there are reports that the Iranian security forces have used chemical weapons to supress the protests; whereas the number of people killed is currently underestimated because an internet blackout is impeding communication; whereas according to the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, credible reports indicate that the Supreme National Security Council issued a statement ordering the security forces to wage a ‘decisive’ crackdown to end the protests; whereas according to the UN Fact-Finding Mission state violence was particularly brutal in ethnic minority regions; whereas the Iranian authorities have carried out mass arbitrary arrests, detaining thousands of protesters, activists, journalists and human rights defenders, without due process and on the basis of false charges relating to national security; whereas the Iranian judiciary has accelerated summary proceedings against detained protesters in unfair trials, and has imposed the death penalty; whereas during the protests the Iranian judiciary carried out death sentences based on prior convictions;
E. whereas on 8 January 2026, the Iranian authorities responded to the unrest by shutting down the internet before launching a violent crackdown involving mass arrests and the use of deadly force;
D. whereas these actions constitute serious violations of international human rights law, including obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party;
F. whereas the Islamic Republic concentrates political and religious authority in the hands of a number of parallel institutions thereby undermining the republic’s democratic institutions;
E. whereas Iran continues to apply the death penalty as a key instrument of repression to intimidate protesters and silence dissent;
G. whereas the Islamic Republic has a long-standing record of systematic repression, including arbitrary arrests, executions, censorship and violent crackdowns on peaceful protests, particularly against women, students, workers and human rights defenders;
F. whereas since 8 January 2026, the Iranian authorities have imposed a country-wide communications blackout, cutting off internet access and shutting down mobile phone and landline networks in one of the most comprehensive and sophisticated blackouts in global history, hindering the ability of the Iranian people to communicate, organise and inform the outside world amid a brutal crackdown, with the aim of obscuring the true extent of the protests and the brutality of the crackdown and of undermining medical assistance; whereas Iran is a major perpetrator of internet shutdowns and has a long history of blocking internet and telecommunication access during times of unrest to silence dissent and crack down on protests;
H.G. whereas the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association is protected by Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
I. whereas UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that he was shocked by reports of violence and excessive use of force by the Iranian authorities against protesters in multiple locations;
H. whereas the regime’s leadership continues to be oblivious to the legitimate demands of the protesters; whereas according to the United Nations Statistics Division nearly 60 % of Iran’s population is under the age of 39, and most of the population was born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution;
I. whereas the Iranian authorities have publicly threatened to further crack down on the protests and harshly punish those involved; whereas on 14 January 2026 Iran’s Justice Minister reportedly stated that anyone arrested after 8 January 2026 was a criminal and terrorist, effectively criminalising peaceful protest and further repressing freedom of expression and assembly; whereas Parliament has consistently and unequivocally condemned the Iranian regime’s oppression and violence against its own people, including the use of executions, the imposition of death sentences following unfair trials, inhumane detention conditions, and the systematic targeting of political activists and of ethnic and religious communities; whereas Parliament has repeatedly called for the IRGC to be designated a terrorist organisation;
J. whereas seven UN human rights experts called upon the Iranian authorities to break the cycle of violence, respect the people’s fundamental right to be able to voice dissent and participate in peaceful protests without fear of reprisals, and address the people’s demands regarding civil, political, economic and cultural rights;
K. whereas the internet shutdown greatly complicated access to reliable sources and information on the extent of human rights violations on the ground;
K. whereas the recent wave of demonstrations is the culmination of a long series of mass protests followed by terrible crackdowns; whereas Iran’s last nationwide uprisings – the ‘Green Movement’ upheaval in 2009 and the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement of September 2022, sparked by the killing of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini by the country’s morality police – also met with brutal repression, targeting women with shotgun fire to their faces, breasts and genitals;
L. whereas nevertheless even Iran’s Supreme Leader has now admitted ‘thousands of deaths’, and a US-based human rights group reported at least 3 090 confirmed deaths, including 2 885 protesters, 165 members of government security forces, and 21 non-protesting civilians; whereas recent reports by Reuters suggest that at least 4 500 protesters have been killed by state security forces;
L. whereas the European Parliament awarded its 2023 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran as a tribute to all the brave women, men and young people in Iran who, under enormous pressure, have kept up the fight for their rights and for change;
M. whereas widespread protests were also sparked off in 2017 by the government’s economic policies; whereas in 2019 nationwide civil protests were triggered by a 50 to 200 % increase in fuel prices;
M. whereas state policies have enabled the routine enforcement of mandatory dress regulations through morality patrols, surveillance technologies and administrative penalties, resulting in arrests, fines, denial of access to education and employment, and custodial sentences for women and girls who do not comply; whereas there are documented cases of physical abuse and deaths in custody linked to such enforcement; whereas the immense courage and resolve of the brave women of Iran, who have met the regime’s cowardly tactics with fearlessness and defiance, have been crucial to the resistance against this brutal regime;
N. whereas the 2009 Green Movement contested the presidential election results and demanded democratic reforms, women’s rights and human rights, but was repressed;
N. whereas the Islamic Republic of Iran has played a highly destabilising role within the Middle East and the broader region, including by propping up terrorist proxy groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Hamas in Gaza and Shia militias in Iraq, and establishing an axis of terror stretching throughout the entire region; whereas Iran’s pernicious influence is not limited to the Middle East, as it continues to pose an enormous risk to European security and democracies around the world through hybrid threats and malign cyber activities, including by abetting Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine, for example by supplying armed drones, missiles and ammunition and providing technology and training that has allowed Russia to ramp up its production, and supporting the Venezuelan dictatorship;
O. whereas the latest protests therefore seem to be part of a longer history of social and political struggles by the Iranian people;
O. whereas credible evidence indicates that Iranian diplomatic missions in several Member States have been involved in propaganda, disinformation and intimidation targeting Iranian diaspora communities in Europe, in breach of international law and the principles governing diplomatic relations;
P. whereas protests in recent years, notably those following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, have shown the power of social movements and their ability to achieve results and bring about change in Iran;
P. whereas the EU has adopted three sanctions regimes against Iran: one in response to serious human rights violations in the country, renewed annually and last extended until 13 April 2026, one in relation to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and the third in response to Iran’s military support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and for armed groups and entities in the Middle East and the Red Sea region; whereas via these regimes more than 230 individuals and 40 entities in Iran, including the IRGC, are currently under sanction;
Q. whereas the 2024 report of a UN fact-finding mission stated that the state bore responsibility for the unlawful death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022 after being arrested for allegedly wearing ‘improper’ hijab which triggered the ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ movement that brought to the fore demands to eliminate entrenched discrimination against women and girls, embodied by the country’s legislation on the mandatory hijab laws;
Q. whereas, in January 2026, Parliament, through a decision by its President, prohibited all diplomatic staff and representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from entering any Parliament premises in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg in response to the Iranian authorities’ violent crackdown on nationwide protests and their refusal to respect fundamental freedoms, with Iranian passport holders subject to screening and denial of entry if identified as acting on behalf of the regime;
R. whereas the widespread ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ movement resulted, for example, in the Iranian Government’s announcing the abolition of the Guidance Patrol, also known as the morality police, and a reduction in the physical monitoring and enforcement of dress code provisions, notably in large cities; whereas while no legislative measure has been adopted to formally repeal the requirement, the mandatory wearing of the veil is in many places no longer enforced;
R. whereas in recent years the Iranian authorities have intensified the persecution and punishment of ethnic and religious communities, notably Christians, with national courts handing down lengthy prison sentences on charges related solely to their faith or religious activities;
S. whereas there can be no doubt about the legitimacy of the genuine grievances of the Iranian people and their struggle for civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights, and their right to peaceful assembly and protest;
1. Expresses its unequivocal condemnation of and outrage at the brutal repression and mass murders perpetrated by the Iranian regime against protesters who have taken to the streets in dozens of cities over the past two weeks; expresses its full solidarity with the people of Iran and its brave and legitimate protest movement which is demanding dignity, safety and respect for the rights of the Iranian people;
T. whereas Israeli authorities, including government officials and the Israeli national intelligence agency Mossad, have claimed to be on the streets of Iran with the protesters; whereas former CIA Director and former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared to confirm these assertions; whereas claims of Israeli activity in Iran are further corroborated by the infiltration by Mossad of Iranian state institutions disclosed after the June 2025 Israeli attacks on Iran;
2. Demands that the Iranian authorities, under the rule of dictator Ali Khamenei, unconditionally end the use of violence against peaceful protesters, immediately halt all executions and cease the murder and repression of civilians exercising their fundamental rights; demands that these rights, in particular the freedoms of expression and assembly, be upheld unconditionally and at all times;
U. whereas Israeli television Channel 14 reported that foreign actors were arming the protestors in Iran with live firearms, claiming this was the reason for ‘hundreds of regime personnel’ being killed; whereas the Financial Times similarly reported testimonies of demonstrators and witnesses speaking of groups of men in black clothes ‘looking like commandos’;
3. Calls for the immediate release of all imprisoned demonstrators and political prisoners; is appalled by the horrifically high death toll and the large number of protesters unlawfully detained;
V. whereas in October 2025, the Israeli paper Haaretz uncovered an Israeli digital influence operation using fake accounts and AI-generated content to Install Reza Pahlavi as king of Iran; whereas Iran under the monarchy was not a democratic state, but a dictatorship notorious for the use of torture by the Savak secret police;
4. Extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of all those who have been killed as a result of the violent repression by the Iranian authorities; expresses its profound indignation at reports of attacks and intimidation carried out by oppressive security forces and members of the IRGC against the families and relatives of those killed during the protests; is deeply concerned about the reported abhorrent practice by the Iranian authorities of extorting large sums of money from the families of victims for the return of the bodies of their deceased relatives;
W. whereas Israeli and US media have openly discussed options to ‘fracture’ or ‘break up’ Iran geographically along ethnic lines;
5. Calls on the Council, in accordance with the Council Common Position of 27 December 2001 on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism, Council Regulation (EC) No 2580/2001, Directive (EU) 2017/541 and the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, to proceed without delay with the full designation of the IRGC, including the Basij militia and the Quds Force, as terrorist organisations; deplores some Member States’ abiding opposition to strengthening restrictive measures against Iran’s regime; calls for such designation to be reflected in the EU’s restrictive measures regime; calls for the expansion and strict enforcement of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime and other EU restrictive measures, including asset freezes and visa bans, against all Iranian officials responsible for repression and against all entities under the control of, or acting on behalf of, the Office of the Supreme Leader, including the placement of all relevant IRGC components and individuals on the EU terrorist list and the application of asset freezes, travel bans and other appropriate restrictive measures; emphasises that the IRGC, including all its branches and affiliated entities, plays a central role in the violent repression of peaceful demonstrators, and in serious human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, and state-sponsored terrorism, both at national and regional level; calls on the Member States to simultaneously take all appropriate national measures to ensure full implementation and enforcement of this designation;
X. whereas any such foreign interference is at odds with the UN Charter, which prohibits interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign nations, and an unacceptable attempt to hijack legitimate popular protests and undermine their peaceful character;
6. Pays tribute to and expresses its strong support for the courageous Iranian people who, for weeks, have taken to the streets to protest against the oppression by the regime and extremely difficult economic and social conditions; commends the courage of the many young people, women and human rights defenders who continue to fight for their rights despite the personal repercussions and brutal repression they face; recognises the crucial role played by the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement in instilling courage in the population and protesters and in exposing the regime’s weakness and detachment from the Iranian people; condemns the sanctions imposed by the Iranian authorities against Members of the European Parliament and of national parliaments and calls for them to be lifted immediately;
Y. whereas Israel has systematically violated human rights and international law, in particular the Genocide Convention, throughout the region;
7. Strongly condemns the widespread, brutal, intentional and disproportionate use of force by Iranian security forces against peaceful protesters; deplores the fact that these killings are not the result of sporadic clashes but of a widespread and systematic policy, and of a premeditated decision to eliminate any resistance and protests; is alarmed that the murdering of thousands of protesters signals a chilling shift in the Iranian regime’s policy of oppression, from deterrence to strategic elimination; calls on the Member States to hold Iranian officials who are proven to be directly involved in the ongoing repression accountable for their crimes under international law; calls for the EU and its Member States to prepare for all possible scenarios, including a potential collapse of the Iranian regime, and to ensure that no perpetrator of repression is granted asylum within the territory of the EU at any time;
Z. whereas foreign intervention and attempts at foreign-sponsored regime change have created millions of casualties throughout the Middle East, creating chaos and destruction notably in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, without bringing about social and democratic improvements; whereas US and Israeli intervention in Syria and Lebanon has consistently undermined sovereignty, territorial integrity and basic human rights;
8. Demands that all protesters, human rights defenders and journalists currently held under arrest in Iran be freed unconditionally; demands that the authorities inform all families of the location of their detained relatives; calls for lawyers and international observers to be granted unhindered access to all those detained during the protests and for the international community to be informed of the identity of detainees; calls for the immediate release and safe repatriation of all EU nationals currently imprisoned in Iran and strongly condemns the regime’s shameless use of hostage diplomacy;
AA. whereas public statements by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court, on the situation in Iran are particularly sensitive in the Iranian context, given Iran’s long collective memory of foreign interference in its domestic politics, including the 1953 coup reimposing the dictatorship of the Shah on the Iranian people, as well as the long-standing confrontation with the United States and Israel; whereas the Iranian authorities eagerly use these statements to portray protest movements as foreign-guided terrorism in an attempt to justify repression;
9. Categorically rejects the Iranian authorities’ claims that the protests were instigated by foreign agents; notes that the protests stem from the profound discontent of large segments of the Iranian population, particularly young people, women and minority groups, with the deep and multiple crises facing the country;
AB. whereas the European Commission, European governments and mainstream political forces refused to condemn the killing of over 1 000 Iranians, including children, by Israel in June 2025, but have now strongly condemned the Iranian authorities’ repression stating they ‘stand with the Iranian people’;
10. Recalls Iran’s international human rights obligations, including respect for the right to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and the right to life, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international treaties to which Iran is a party; calls for the EU to further support civil society, human rights and humanitarian organisations in Iran;
AC. whereas, however, recent European policy initiatives on Iran have not shown similar concern for human rights as they mostly focused on sanctions, while back in 2022 the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights delivered at the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council concluded that sanctions and various forms of over-compliance had a serious negative impact on Iran’s economy with an adverse effect on the broad spectrum of human rights – civil, political, economic, social and cultural – including the right to life and the right to development of the Iranian people;
11. Stresses the deeply illegitimate and violent nature of the inhumane Iranian regime, which is based solely on terror, fear and intimidation and is opposed to any religious, cultural and ethnic pluralism; calls on the Commission and the Member States to exert effective pressure on the regime; recognises in the vast wave of protests an unequivocal sign of the unsustainability of this system after decades of oppression, and calls for a free and democratic transition in Iran; extends its full solidarity to the Iranian diaspora, which plays a crucial role in demanding freedom and democracy and supporting the protests; recognises the Iranian people as the sole legitimate source of authority and sovereignty in Iran;
AD. whereas prior to the 2011 tightening of US sanctions, Iran experienced years of economic growth, with rising living standards and a substantial expansion of its middle class from the 1990s onwards, growing from approximately 15 % of the population in 1979 to over half of Iranian society by 2011;
12. Calls for the measures to be coordinated with like-minded partners, accompanied by efforts to counter sanctions circumvention globally; welcomes the United States’ recent adoption of targeted sanctions against senior Iranian officials responsible for repression, and urges the EU to take similar action; calls for the expulsion of IRGC members’ relatives who are studying or working in the EU;
AE. whereas between 2011 and 2019 up to an estimated nine million people lost their middle-class status; whereas in parallel poverty rates have at least doubled in both urban and rural areas;
13. Calls for the EU and its Member States to use all tools at their disposal to prevent, deter and respond to malicious cyber activities and foreign information manipulation and interference, including those conducted by or attributed to the Iranian authorities; encourages the full use of the EU Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox, including restrictive measures against individuals and entities responsible for cyberattacks, and of the EU sanctions regime targeting such attacks; urges the EU to reinforce its capabilities in the areas of strategic communication, resilience-building and attribution, in coordination with international partners;
AF. whereas sanctions have complicated infrastructure investment in crucial development sectors such as electricity, heating or drinking water;
14. Condemns the Iranian regime’s efforts to censor the protests by cutting internet access and telephone networks across the country; calls for all bans on online-based communications and services within Iran to be lifted immediately; calls for the EU and its Member States to significantly scale up technical and financial support to ensure secure digital access and the provision of censorship-circumvention tools and digital protection for Iranian civil society, journalists and human rights defenders; calls on technology and satellite service providers to explore all lawful and feasible means to facilitate safe access to communication services, such as ‘direct to cell’ connectivity, to ensure uninterrupted information access for Iranian citizens, particularly in order to enable emergency communication and alerts via SMS, and to prevent the misuse of platforms for repression;
AG. whereas, additionally, a growing body of scientific literature has found strong evidence that economic sanctions have significantly restricted the Iranian people’s access to medicines for non-communicable diseases, with dramatic impacts documented specifically for cancer patients, including for radiotherapy treatment, as well as for asthma, thalassaemia and haemophilia patients;
15. Highlights the fact that for decades the Iranian regime has persistently engaged in the systematic targeting of human rights activists, political dissidents, minority communities and women, in particular through vicious patterns of repression; expresses solidarity with all individuals in Iran persecuted for their beliefs or identity and recognises the courage of minority communities facing systemic discrimination, including Kurds, Baluchis, Baha’is and Christians; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all persons detained solely for exercising their freedom of religion or belief;
AH. whereas the media have also reported insulin and thyroid pill shortages and previous rounds of sanctions even saw a 14-fold price increase for dietary formula for infants with food allergies;
16. Reiterates its calls on Iran to grant immediate and unhindered access to the UN-mandated Fact-Finding Mission, given the need for international scrutiny in this climate of total impunity in which the Iranian authorities have systematically committed serious crimes under international law, including murder, torture, rape and enforced disappearances to silence dissent, and the need for evidence to be collected and preserved to support future prosecutions; calls for the EU to support the extension of the mandate of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran in the Human Rights Council and extend its mandate to the investigation of the current atrocities;
AI. whereas although following UN Security Council Resolution 1929 (2010), the EU aligned with US sanctions on Iran, Member States historically seemed to recognise the counterproductive impact of sanctions by refusing the 1995 US Trade Ban, and adopting the 1996 Blocking Statute to counter US extraterritorial sanctions for European companies doing business with Iran;
17. Notes the prominent role played by women and girls in the protests and condemns the regime’s systemic oppression of women and other vulnerable groups through laws and regulations that severely restrict freedoms and rights, including the degrading compulsory hijab law and its abusive enforcement, severe restrictions on women’s sexual and reproductive health, and violations of women’s political, social, economic, cultural and personal rights; stresses that inheritance discrimination, and testimony and nationality laws, which grant women unequal legal status and limit their autonomy in both public and private life, are contrary to international human rights standards to which Iran is bound;
AJ. whereas in 2018, the EU even updated the Blocking Statute in response to the reimposition of sanctions by the United States after the Trump administration unilaterally pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement with Iran; whereas in 2019 France, Germany and the United Kingdom launched the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) to facilitate non-dollar trade with Iran; whereas these measures failed to meaningfully counter US sanction regimes and their impact on the lives of the Iranian people;
18. Decries once again the appallingly high number of executions carried out in the past two years, particularly since the outbreak of the recent demonstrations in late December, as a symbol of the regime’s utter disregard for human life and dignity;
AK. whereas in 2025, France, Germany and the United Kingdom took the initiative to activate a snap-back mechanism allowing for the reimposition of many sanctions, including restrictions on goods, technology, and financial services, as well as asset freezes and restrictions on Iran;
19. Recalls that Iran has the highest death sentence rate per capita in the world and that since the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in 2022, the Iranian authorities have embarked on a relentless execution spree, including against dissidents, women, journalists and minorities; decries the fact that in 2025 alone the regime executed 1 500 people; reiterates the EU’s long-standing opposition to capital punishment and calls for the immediate abolition of the death penalty;
AL. whereas subsequent to the imposition of sanctions the price of basic goods in Iran soared, with food prices increasing by 50 to 72 % last year; while Iran’s national currency has lost two-thirds of its value over the past three years with a sharp acceleration in 2025;
20. Expresses its full support for the Iranian opposition and invites the VP/HR to initiate an inclusive dialogue with the Iranian democratic opposition, with the aim of promoting a democratic, free and pluralistic future for Iran; calls for representatives of the Iranian democratic opposition to be invited to the European Parliament, while reiterating that it is up to the Iranian people to determine their future government; encourages the Commission to expand technical and financial assistance to Iranian civil society; calls for the different actors in the democratic opposition to work together, paving the way for a just, inclusive and democratic process that succeeds in bringing freedom and dignity to all Iranian citizens, irrespective of their ethnicity, religion and gender; calls for the EU and its Member States to cooperate closely with like-minded partners in order to support a free Iran in which universal human rights and equality prevail, shaped by the Iranian people themselves; is convinced that promoting the country’s diverse communities and fundamental regional, cultural and ethnic diversity is key to securing a democratic and peaceful future for Iran;
AM. whereas sanctions have similarly increased real and perceived inequalities, notably between the rich and the rest of society; whereas recent research has also shown that sanctions not only disproportionately hit the poorest segments of society, but also punished the Iranian middle classes which are credited by liberal-democratic theory for pushing for reforms and change;
21. Underlines once again how the Iranian regime has actively sown chaos and destruction across the region for decades, while engaging in brutal patterns of internal and transnational repression; condemns the Iranian authorities’ brutal use of transnational repression, both online and offline, to silence, intimidate, repress, coerce or even abduct opponents, as well as to threaten their families abroad; calls on the Commission, in close cooperation with the Member States, to strengthen prevention, protection and response mechanisms within the EU, and to ensure that all acts of transnational repression are effectively investigated and prosecuted; stresses that Iran continues to constitute the largest and most substantial threat to the security and stability of the broader region and the most significant obstacle to peace; reiterates its firm condemnation of Iran’s malign activities and interference across the region and beyond, most prominently in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and the West Bank and Gaza;
AN. whereas many academic studies note that sanctions, and specifically US President Trump’s maximum sanctions pressure imposed since 2017, have severely contracted not only crude oil sales, but also political space in Iran, weakening civil society and the popularity of reformist politicians, while strengthening the hardline right wing and reinforcing both the militarisation of the economy and even the economic power of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), controlling imports, managing currency exchanges, and monopolising access to restricted goods, to the detriment of independent businesses;
22. Notes that Iran and Russia have increasingly shared critical intelligence and cooperated on evading sanctions through front companies, banking links and oil transfers with tracking devices turned off; calls for better enforcement of EU sanctions, an urgent upgrade of automatic identification systems to counter sanctions and embargo evasion, and increased surveillance and inspections of suspected Iranian vessels;
AO. whereas while in 2017 the United States also labelled the IRGC a foreign terrorist organisation and made it arguably the most-sanctioned entity on the US Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list, US maximum sanctions pressure has had the effect of reinforcing the mentality and rhetoric of siege and accelerated the securitisation of Iranian political culture;
23. Calls on the VP/HR, in coordination with the Member States, to intensify diplomatic engagement in support of the Iranian people by exploring the establishment of an enhanced EU diplomatic presence or representation capable of providing protection, humanitarian assistance and consular support to individuals at risk for exercising their fundamental rights, including peaceful protesters; stresses the need to consider measures that could provide points of refuge, information and assistance in line with international law and relevant legal precedents of EU Member States, with the objective of improving the Union’s capacity to monitor, report and respond to serious human rights violations on the ground;
AP. whereas the US labelling Iran a member of the Axis of Evil in 2003 notwithstanding Iran-US cooperation on Afghanistan, as well as the unilateral US withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018, both happened while Iran was governed by presidents open to cooperation with the West which in turn contributed to discrediting more moderate and reformist factions, while empowering the more conservative factions;
24. Welcomes the VP/HR’s commitment to implement further coercive measures against Iran; calls on the Council and the Member States to swiftly expand existing restrictive measures in order to respond urgently and appropriately to the ongoing repression; welcomes the fact that the EU is considering targeted sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for the violent repression of protesters and urges their swift adoption;
AQ. whereas US President Donald Trump has threatened renewed military strikes against Iran; whereas many countries in the region oppose any such attack and instead are calling for diplomatic outreach between Iranian and American officials;
25. Demands that the European External Action Service (EEAS) produce regular reports on the situation in Iran; suggests establishing or identifying a domain in which the names of all victims of the recent massacres can be registered, in order to document and preserve records of those killed or harmed;
AR. whereas several countries fear a massive influx of refugees in the event of war or regime change operations against Iran; whereas other countries fear Iranian retaliation against US bases on their territory;
26. Calls on the EU Member States and the EEAS to request a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on the human rights crisis in Iran to demonstrate and foster legitimate international opposition to the conduct of the Iranian regime;
AS. whereas international law prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, as laid down in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and as a fundamental principle of customary international law; whereas any departure from this prohibition is strictly limited, including in exceptional humanitarian circumstances and only under a clear mandate and with prior authorisation by the UN Security Council;
27. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support all accountability efforts within and outside the UN that are working towards the documentation of deaths and their prompt, independent and transparent investigation, including through the collection of testimonies and evidence from people fleeing the country; welcomes the UN Human Rights Council’s decision to hold a special session on the situation in Iran;
1. Strongly condemns the killing of peaceful protestors, the deliberate use of violence, arbitrary detention, and intimidation tactics by security forces;
28. Stresses that any normalisation of relations with Iran is conditional upon the unconditional release of all political prisoners, the verifiable end of systematic repression, and genuine progress towards democracy and the rule of law;
2. Stands with the Iranian people in their legitimate struggle for their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights and an international order in line with the UN Charter; condemns all forms of intolerance, hostility and use of force against persons or groups of persons on the grounds of racial, religious, cultural, sexual, social, ethnic or national differences;
29. Calls on the EEAS, the Commission and the Member States to continue to raise the violations at the hands of the Iranian regime in bilateral and multilateral forums, and to ensure that EU restrictive measures remain targeted, evidence-based and focused on individuals and entities responsible for serious human rights abuses;
3. Expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families of all victims; calls on the Iranian authorities to cease the use of lethal force against peaceful protesters, and instead to address their legitimate concerns;
30. Welcomes the decision by its President, Roberta Metsola, to bar all diplomatic staff and representatives of the Iranian regime from all Parliament premises; calls on the Member States to follow suit and adopt similar restrictions, including revoking, if necessary, the diplomatic status of the staff of Iran’s diplomatic and consular missions across the EU;
4. Firmly condemns the rise in the use of the death penalty, or the threat thereof, especially with regard to peaceful demonstrators; reiterates its strong opposition to the use of the death penalty worldwide and calls for the introduction of a moratorium as a first step towards the abolition of capital punishment;
31. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Member States, and the Office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
5. Calls for prompt, independent and transparent investigations into the violence and killings, and for those responsible for unlawful killings to be brought to justice; calls also for an independent inquiry into other reported human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests and attacks on medical facilities;
6. Supports the unconditional release of all individuals detained solely for exercising their rights to free expression, peaceful protest or civil disobedience;
7. Highlights the importance of internet and telephone services permitting free exchange of information and independent reporting; calls on the Iranian Government to restore access to the internet and for the EU to help restore internet access;
8. Recalls Iran’s international human rights obligations, including the respect for the right to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and the right to life, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international treaties to which Iran is a party; calls for the EU to further support humanitarian organisations in Iran;
9. Urges the UN Human Rights Council to strengthen independent investigative mechanisms and calls on all relevant international accountability bodies to act in line with their mandates; stresses that findings and recommendations must be public, transparent and protected from political interference;
10. Supports the Iranian people’s right to decide their political future free from coercion and foreign interference, and reaffirms its support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran as a member state of the United Nations;
11. Opposes attempts, notably by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to instrumentalise or hijack the legitimate demands and anger of the Iranian people;
12. Reiterates the principle of non-intervention and the prohibition of the threat or use of force under international law; calls on all external actors, in particular the United States and Israel, to refrain from actions or statements that constitute interference and to instead support accountability for human rights violations through multilateral UN-based mechanisms;
13. Firmly condemns any threat or use of force in violation of the basic principles of international law, and in particular the UN Charter; stresses that recent experiences prove that Western military interventions bring neither democracy nor human rights, but chaos and mass casualties;
14. Recalls that in 1953 Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh was overthrown in a CIA-backed coup after nationalising Iran’s oil industry, an intervention that dismantled Iran’s democratic institutions and restored authoritarian rule;
15. Reaffirms that the choice of its political leadership and institutional arrangements belongs solely to the Iranian people; underlines that it is not for the EU to endorse, promote or favour any particular opposition figure or candidate, nor to attempt to shape Iran’s political future from outside;
16. Calls for free, fair and transparent democratic participation, in full respect of international human rights standards and the will of the Iranian people;
17. Expresses deep concern at the impact of sanctions against Iran on the Iranian people and Iranian society; stresses that such measures primarily affect the civilian population, exacerbating economic hardship, causing medicine shortages, weakening civil society, and fostering increased militarisation of Iranian society;
18. Calls, in line with the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral sanctions, for the immediate lifting of those European sanctions on Iran that have a negative impact on the human rights and living conditions of the Iranian people; calls also for the reactivation of EU mechanisms allowing US sanctions to be circumvented;
19. Condemns the US suspension of immigrant visas for Iranians in the midst of a crackdown; calls for the EU and its Member States to strengthen safe pathways and protection for those at risk, including asylum, medical care and legal support for refugees;
20. Deplores the continued lack of an explicit EU condemnation of Israeli strikes on Iran in June 2025, which killed civilians, including children, and hit civilian sites, including Tehran’s Evin prison; calls for the EU to apply international law consistently, oppose attacks on civilians regardless of the perpetrator, and to support independent, prompt and effective investigations and accountability;
21. Stresses that further isolating Iran at global level could have detrimental consequences, such as strengthening hardliners, further degrading women’s rights, and contributing to nuclear proliferation;
22. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.