Dutch Parliament Wants European Sanctions Against Iranian Leaders

The Dutch parliament believes that the Netherlands should push in Europe for measures against the rulers in Iran. Europe should cooperate with the United States "and other countries in the free world," politicians write in an opinion piece in the Volkskrant.

The almost unanimous plea follows an earlier decision by parliament to place the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on the list of terrorist organizations. The plea is supported by both the governing parties VVD, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie as well as the left and right opposition parties PvdA, SP, GroenLinks, Denk, JA21 and SGP.

The parties believe that the Netherlands should submit a proposal in the EU to place the Revolutionary Guard on the list of terrorist organizations. They also call for sanctions against specific Iranian officials and their close family members, as was previously done with powerful Russians.

The parties also advocate for better enforcement of sanctions, including by improving information sharing and punishing countries that help Iranians evade sanctions.

Security services should better inform companies “so that an entrepreneur can also find out whether a company in Dubai is actually an Iranian company evading sanctions.” In addition, Iranians in Europe must be better protected against threats and intimidation by the Iranian government.

The parties also advocate for better enforcement of sanctions, including by improving information sharing and punishing countries that help Iranians evade sanctions.