On Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel, the need for de-escalation and an EU response

B90250/2024

European Parliament resolution on Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel, the need for de-escalation and an EU response

(2024/2704(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran,

– having regard to the UN Secretary-General’s statement of 13 April 2024 regarding attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran targeting Israel,

– having regard to the G7 Leaders’ statement of 14 April 2024 on Iran’s attack against Israel,

– having regard to the statement by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on behalf of the EU of 14 April 2024 on Iran,

– having regard to Council Decision (CFSP) 2023/1532 of 20 July 2023 concerning restrictive measures in view of Iran’s military support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,

– having regard to the European Council conclusions of 17 and 18 April 2024,

– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas on the night of 13 to 14 April 2024 Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israeli territory, with around 350 drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise and ballistic missiles, after vowing retaliation for a deadly strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus;

B. whereas this attack reveals Iran’s intentions not to recognise Israel’s right to exist and to seek its eradication, as has been made clear from the recognised involvement of Iran in attacks and acts of destabilisation against Israel through its proxies in Lebanon, Yemen and the Palestinian territories;

C. whereas Iran’s proxies, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, carried out a drone attack on Israel, and Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah announced bombings of an Israeli military position in the Golan area of Syria, coinciding with Iran’s attack on Israel;

D. whereas Israel, with the assistance of its allies, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Jordan, managed to intercept 99 % of the drones and missiles launched by Iran, of which there were more than 300; whereas some of these missiles nonetheless breached the defences and reached the Nevatim airbase in the southern part of the country;

E. whereas this attack represents an unprecedented assault and poses a threat of uncontrollable regional escalation, marking the first time Israel’s sovereignty has been directly attacked in this manner by Iran; whereas with this attack, Iran has moved towards further destabilising the region;

F. whereas Israel launched strikes on Iran early on the morning of Friday 19 April 2024, in what appeared to be limited retaliatory action; whereas Iran’s air defences shot at incoming targets, and local authorities and media reported explosions near the cities of Isfahan in central Iran and Tabriz in the north-west;

G. whereas the Iranian regime has been a long-term threat, not only to Israel, the only democracy in the region, but also to other neighbouring Arab states; whereas the Iranian regime provides drones to Russia in Putin’s war against Ukraine and supports terror organisations;

H. whereas the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) supports militant groups in Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Syria and Yemen, whereas this ‘axis of resistance’ aims to rid the region of western influence; whereas the ties between the IRGC and its regional network have been increasingly apparent since October 2023, when Hamas fighters and other Palestinian militants perpetrated the most devastating terrorist attack Israel had ever witnessed; whereas Iran reportedly provides material support to Hamas and there is a wider belief that Iran may have been complicit in a broad sense;

I. whereas Iranian influence networks extend throughout Latin American countries, where the link and mutual support between the ayatollahs’ regime and Nicolás Maduro’s regime are evident; whereas those networks have the sole intention to destabilise democracy all over the world;

J. whereas the United States designated the IRGC a foreign terrorist organisation in April 2019, whereas, since early 2023, the European Parliament has been requesting its own designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation;

K. whereas previous Iranian attacks, such as the seizure by Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship and the MSC Aries, a Portuguese-flagged container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, pose a danger to international maritime security and a direct threat to maritime traffic in the Red Sea;

L. whereas neither the region nor the world can tolerate another war, and it is a shared responsibility of the international community to prevent escalation in the region, given the threat of a widespread and devastating conflict;

M. whereas the human rights situation in Iran is continuing to deteriorate; whereas the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini and others, as well as the massive number of executions, is illustrative of the ongoing human rights crisis in Iran; whereas the Islamic Republic, in particular through the IRGC, engages in large-scale, sophisticated and violent transnational repression activities targeting exiled and diaspora activists, dissidents, independent journalists, and human rights defenders, including on EU soil, such as presumably the targeting of former European Parliament Vice-President Alejo Vidal Quadras;

N. whereas Johan Floderus, a Swedish citizen and European Union official, was arbitrarily detained in Tehran in 2022 and, two years later, remains imprisoned in Iran under inhumane conditions; whereas the case of Johan Floderus is another example of Iran’s hostage diplomacy;

O. whereas, in response to the sanctions imposed by the EU on Iran for its blatant human rights violations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran adopted retaliatory measures under the sanctions mechanism targeting Members of the European Parliament (MEPs); whereas in response to Iran’s sanctions on MEPs, in November 2022 Parliament decided that its delegations and committees will no longer engage with the Iranian authorities;

1. Condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the unprecedented drone and missile attack carried out by Iran on Israel on the night of 13 to 14 April 2024, as well as the serious escalation and threat to regional security that this represents;

2. Expresses deep condemnation of the attacks perpetrated by Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the bombings carried out by Iran’s proxy, the Lebanese militant terrorist group Hezbollah, simultaneous with Iran’s attack;

3. Underlines firm support and solidarity towards the people of Israel and their right of self-defence, reaffirming an unwavering commitment to their security and regional stability;

4. Welcomes the coordinated response of Israel, the United States, Jordan, France and the United Kingdom to overcome this unprecedented attack in which approximately 350 drones and missiles were launched towards Israel from Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen;

5. Recalls that the EU must become a main actor in the Middle East and that unity in the face of terrorism and anti-democratic regimes is the only way to achieve democracy and peace in the region;

6. Urges the Iranian authorities, their proxies and their allies to completely cease the attacks, and calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid escalation in the region, reiterating the desire to stabilise the situation;

7. Welcomes the EU’s decision to consider expanding the current sanctions regime established in July 2023 and aimed at sanctioning Iran for its support in supplying unmanned drones to Putin’s war machinery, with the goal of specifically addressing the inclusion of missiles and drones within the sanctions, as well as the activities of Iran’s representatives in the region, including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and demands that these additional sanctions be put in place as a matter of urgency;

8. Urges the European Union and its Member States to take all the actions necessary to add the IRGC and its subsidiary forces, including the paramilitary Basij militia and the Quds Force, as well as Hezbollah in its entirety, to the EU terrorist list and the EU sanctions list, without further delay and without hiding behind any procedural matters; calls for the EU and its Member States to tighten up all UN sanctions against Iran;

9. Condemns Iran’s support for groups classified as terrorists, including Hezbollah, the Houthis and Hamas; condemns the illegal, unacceptable and deeply destabilising attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea, using missiles and small boats, and including attempted hijackings;

10. Urges the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to consolidate their efforts to ensure the secure and immediate release of all hostages, including two Bulgarian, one Romanian and three Ukrainian citizens, who were taken from the Galaxy Leader when it was hijacked by a Houthi-owned helicopter on 19 November 2023, and urges the Commission and the EEAS to engage with all relevant stakeholders to guarantee the safe return of the hostages;

11. Strongly condemns the unlawful interception, boarding and detention of the MSC Aries, along with its crew, by entities operating under the direct or indirect control of the Iranian Government; urgently requests the immediate release of the detained vessel and its crew and cargo, without any damage;

12. Strongly denounces Iran’s hostage diplomacy and the imprisonment of Johan Floderus, along with the conditions of his detention; demands his immediate and unconditional release, as well as respect for his fundamental rights;

13. Condemns the sanctions imposed by the Iranian authorities on MEPs; reaffirms that as long as these sanctions on EU parliamentarians persist, interparliamentary dialogue must remain suspended;

14. 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 European External Action Service, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the UN Secretary-General, the Supreme Leader and the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.