EU Targets Iranian Guard Unit in Expanding Sanctions on Syria
The European Union froze the assets of an Iranian military unit as part of broader sanctions against Syria, saying the Teheran-based force has aided the Syrian regime’s deadly crackdown on protesters.
The EU added the Quds Force, a specialist arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps., along with four Syrian entities and 15 people to the bloc’s list of those targeted by an asset freeze and travel ban.
“The Quds Force is involved in providing equipment and support to help the Syria regime suppress protests,” the 27- nation EU said today in the Official Journal. The decision, taken yesterday in Brussels, expands the EU’s sanctions against Syria to 50 people and nine entities and comes as the bloc prepares to prohibit imports of crude oil from the country.
The EU is broadening sanctions against people and groups deemed “responsible for the violent repression against the civilian population in Syria.” The United Nations puts the death toll at more than 2,200.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom the EU put on its asset-freeze and travel-ban list before today, has deployed tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and helicopters to crush the uprising that began in mid-March after revolts ousted the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and sparked a conflict in Libya.
‘Indiscriminate Military Force’
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton announced the planned expansion of the list and oil embargo last week, when she cited “intensifying large-scale use of indiscriminate military force” in Syria and joined leaders in Europe and the U.S. in calling on Assad to step down. Assad rejected the demands and pledged to schedule parliamentary elections by February.
EU government representatives held an initial discussion yesterday about the plan to ban oil imports from Syria and are scheduled to resume talks on the matter this week, according to Michael Mann, Ashton’s spokesman.
EU imports of crude oil from Syria in 2010 were worth 3.16 billion euros ($4.56 billion), according to the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm. That represents 88 percent of total EU imports from Syria last year, says the commission.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Brussels at jstearns2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Hertling at jhertling@bloomberg.net
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