The EU will reportedly issue a fourth round of sanctions against Iran on Monday as it works to list Tehran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.
The bloc will add 37 individual entries to its sanctions over human rights violations, two sources told Reuters.
“We believe we should already start working on the fifth one to list IRGC as a terrorist organisation,” said one of the sources, an EU diplomat.
Iran has warned the EU against such a move, claiming Europe “would shoot itself in the foot” by sanctioning the IRGC — the backbone of Iran's regime.
The EU says the group, which yields major economic and military influence in Iran and the wider Middle East, is responsible for both the crackdown on protesters and drone supplies to Russia.
Its Basij paramilitary force is especially notorious for gunning down protesters, who have been killed in their hundreds since demonstrations began in September.
Both Germany and France have publicly pushed for the IRGC to be designated by the EU.
Listing the group as a terrorist organisation is “politically important and makes sense”, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said earlier this month.
The sanctions would mean the IRGC members would not be allowed to travel to the EU and any European assets would be frozen.
“It has to be legally sound and that is being discussed right now. But it won't be ready for Monday,” the diplomat said.
The IRGC has plotted global terrorist attacks and has ramped up its influence in the UK, US and Europe, said a recent report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
War on waste
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
The five pillars of Islam
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Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
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Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
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- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
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Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
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