The French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs said on Monday that the European Union decided to impose sanctions against nine individuals and Iranian entities, accused of being responsible for the state hostages. This decision includes Chiraz prison in Iran.
Jean-Noël Barrot, expressing his position on the social network “X”, said that this initiative comes from his proposal, adopted at the meeting of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council, which was held on Monday, April 14 in Luxembourg. “On my proposal, nine individuals and Iranian entities responsible for state hostage policy, including the Chiraz prison, are struck by European sanctions from today,” he said, without revealing the exact nature of these sanctions.
The Minister also expressed his determination to work for the liberation of French citizens, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, prisoners in Iran under conditions qualified as unworthy. Barrot also announced that “France will file a complaint before the International Court of Justice” against Iran due to the refusal of the latter to grant consular visits to the French hostages.
At the same time, he renewed his call to French nationals to “not go to Iran and those who are passing there to leave as soon as possible”, mentioning the risks of arbitrary detention. This warning had already been formulated the previous Thursday.
Recall that the sanctions of the European Union against Iran, in place since 2011, were justified by “serious violations of human rights” and prolonged recently until April 13, 2025. In 2022, additional sanctions were applied to Iran, following the supply of military equipment to Russia, including drones.
This text was read on the site of our colleagues from Anadolu.
