Both EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have remained silent on the situation in Iran during their current Mideast trip where they visit Jordan, Egypt Syria, Lebanon and Syria.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola broke EU leaders’ silence this week.
The European Union has so far been rather discreet on the ongoinfg wave of protests in Iran against the regime.
Major protests are sweeping Iran amid reports that the mullahs regime in Tehran has imposed a total internet blackout, nearly two weeks into a country-wide uprising that shows no sign of abating.
According to the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, Iranian security forces have killed 45 people since protests broke out 12 days ago, with hundreds more wounded and more than 2,000 arrested.
The only official statement from the EU came last week end, saying:’’We follow closely the unfolding situation across Iran, with demonstrations reflecting the demands of many Iranians.’’ ‘’We are concerned by the reported deaths and injuries and urge Iran’s security forces to exercise maximum restraint in handling peaceful protests. Socio-economic challenges were acknowledged by authorities and should be addressed through inclusive dialogue, not through violence,’’ it added.
Both EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have remained silent on the situation in Iran during their current Mideast trip where they visit Jordan, Egypt Syria, Lebanon and Syria.
But among the EU institutions, the European Parliament has always taken a harder line on Iran than the Commission or the Council, repeatedly calling for the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.
This was against showed this week when European Parliament President Roberta Metsola publicly backed the protesters.
In a video message, she praised a “generation who want to tear off the shackles of oppression” and said “Europe hears them.”
“The world is once again witnessing the brave people of Iran stand up. The people of Europe see what is happening on the streets and in the hearts and minds of the people of Iran. We know the change that is underway,’’ she said.
“It is the Jina Mahsa Amini generation who reject the confines of the forceful theocracy that still rules over every aspect of their lives,” Metsola added, referring to an Iranian-Kurdish woman who died in suspicious circumstances in 2022 after being arrested for refusing to wear a hijab, and was posthumously awarded the EU Parliament Sakharov Prize.
Iran’s Mission to the EU rejected Metsola’s comments, accusing her of “disgusting” hypocrisy and alleging selective silence over the war in Gaza and Iranians killed by Israel last year.
Metsola replied to the Iranians’ post on X, saying that it “must be nice” to be able to use the internet to disagree with her – a reference to the outages enforced by Tehran.
The protest movement began on 28 December with a shutdown of Tehran’s main bazaar after the rial, Iran’s monnaie plunged to record lows. It has since spread nationwide, including to the capital, troubling authorities under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
With rallies reported in all 31 provinces, exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi called for further demonstrations, while Iranian Kurdish groups urged a general strike in western regions. Rights organisations reported live fire in several towns and alleged that wounded protesters were being detained in hospitals.