EU sanctions imposed upon close relatives and business associates of President Bashar al-Assad over the repression in Syria have also targeted commanders of Iran‘s Revolutionary Guard.
Syria has denied that Iran has been helping to crush unrest, despite claims by western governments and Syrian opposition groups, so the measures against regime figures in Tehran and Damascus, announced in Brussels on Friday, sent a strong message to both countries.
Britain denounced Iran’s support for its Arab ally as “absolutely unacceptable” and “blatant hypocrisy”.
General Muhammad Ali Jafari, the Revolutionary Guard commander, and General Qasem Soleimani, who leads its elite al-Quds force, both now face EU asset freezes and travel bans. They are already subject to US sanctions.
The EU document cites three Iranians as “providing equipment and support to help the Syrian regime suppress protests”. Hossein Taeb is describe… >>>