Parliament wants Netherlands to take EU lead in measures against Iranian regime

The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, wants the Netherlands to take the lead in Europe with measures against the regime in Iran. Europe should work with the United States, “and other countries in the free world,” the leaders of ten parties wrote in an opinion piece in the Volkskrant. “We can work with all countries and seek dialogue, but we have to stand up when people and their rights, freedoms, and lives are at stake.”

“Millions of Iranian women and men want freedom, fight for that freedom, and do so at the risk of their lives,” the party leaders wrote. They deserve support, the party leaders believe. “The Iranian regime violates universal human rights and threatens international security through its military activities. That is why we need to put greater pressure on this regime.”

The parties want the Netherlands to submit a proposal to the EU to put the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on the list of terrorist organizations. They also called for sanctions against “specific persons from the Iranian regime and their close relatives,” as has happened before with powerful Russians. “In this way, we prevent them from violating freedoms in Iran and then coming here to enjoy our freedoms at, for example, our universities. And in this way, we protect Iranians here so that they are not confronted with (family members of) their oppressors from Iran.”

The parties also called for better enforcement of sanctions, including improving information sharing and punishing countries if they help Iranians evade sanctions. The security services should better inform companies “so that an entrepreneur can also find out whether a company in Dubai is actually an Iranian company evading the sanctions.” In addition, Iranians in Europe must be better protected against threats and intimidation from the Iranian government.

The opinion piece follows a motion in parliament to put the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on the list of terrorist organizations. Only Forum voor Democratie voted against the motion. The leaders of the coalition parties VVD, D66, CDA, and ChristenUnie, and opposition parties PvdA, SP, GroenLinks, Denk, JA21, and SGP all signed the opinion piece.