EU considering sanctions on Iran, Hamas - report

The documents also showed that the EU wants Arab states to have a strong presence in any sanctions regime.

People rally against Iranian regime during a European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs council in Brussels, Belgium January 23, 2023. (photo credit: JOHANNA GERON/REUTERS)
People rally against Iranian regime during a European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs council in Brussels, Belgium January 23, 2023.
(photo credit: JOHANNA GERON/REUTERS)

The EU is considering implementing sanctions against Iran due to its support of Hamas according to Politico.

In documents seen by the media company, the big three EU states—Germany, France, and Italy—have drawn up plans on how to further sanction Hamas—but there seems to be a large internal split on whether it's actually a good idea.

Despite the fact that some officials are downplaying Iran's direct involvement or even knowledge about the October 7, Hamas-led massacre of at least 1,200 Israelis and others on the Israeli side of the Gaza border—even though Tehran is a long-time supporter of the genocidal terrorist group—there are some within the EU that want to go ahead with planning extra sanctions on the Iran, specifically a ban on the export of components used in the production of missiles.

The EU has already implemented a series of sanctions against Iran for various reasons including its continued proliferation of nuclear weapons and supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Several European Union diplomats raised concerns that an expansion of sanctions on Iran would only escalate the war, which is "exactly what the EU wants to avoid," one of the diplomats told Politico.

 An Israeli flag flutters next to a German and a EU flag, one day after Hamas' attacks on Israel, outside the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, October 8, 2023.  (credit: REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen)
An Israeli flag flutters next to a German and a EU flag, one day after Hamas' attacks on Israel, outside the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, October 8, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen)

An insurance plan

Other diplomats countered that it would be a good insurance plan to draw up sanctions and wait to see if the Islamic Republic escalates the war or if evidence surfaces showing their actual involvement in it.

The documents seen by Politico show that sanctions would have two major purposes: "to isolate Hamas internationally and delegitimize the false narrative of Hamas as a 'defender of the (just) Palestinian cause.'"

They also showed that the EU is concerned that Arab states should have a strong presence among the sanctions regime.

There are also proposals to expand the current sanctions list against Hamas, which began in 2003, to include more individuals associated with the organization.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.