US Court Orders Iran To Pay $3.3mn Over Damages To Activist’s Family

In a letter addressed to Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, the new head of the EU Council, European Parliament members Evin Incir and Thijs Reuten have urged the council to initiate the procedure to add Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to the EU terrorist list. 

The letter, a copy of which was also sent to Josef Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, read, “In spite of the European Parliament's unequivocal demand, the Foreign Affairs Council has yet to reach agreement about adding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its subsidiary forces to the EU terrorist list.” 

Unlike the United States which in 2019 put the IRGC on its Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) list, European countries have avoided the designation and prioritized diplomacy with the Islamic Republic in the hope of concluding a nuclear deal. The IRGC has been operating for decades across the EU. Most recently, a plot to murder Iran International journalists in London made the channel to relocate its studios to the US. 

Many politicians in France, Germany, and other European countries have been keen to pursue the IRGC’s designation by the EU and say that it has been long overdue. In January, the European Parliament approved a resolution with absolute majority to designate the outfit as a terrorist organization. However, the EU executives refused to do so, with Borrell saying the move needs a ruling by a European court. 

In their letter, Incir – a Swedish politician of Kurdish descent – and Reuten – a Dutch politician – responded that according to the “Common Position 2001/931/CFSP, Article 1(4) which sets out the parameters for the inclusion of persons and entities on the EU terrorist list,” the IRGC can listed without any legal barriers. 

Among these parameters is “the instigation of investigations regarding, the prosecution for, or the condemnation of perpetrated, attempted, or facilitated terrorist acts,” reads the letter, adding that “The Council has further clarified that decisions by the competent authorities of third States may also serve as the basis of a listing proposal.” 

They concluded that “a conviction by a Member State Court is therefore not a requirement to initiate the listing procedure of the IRGC.” 

In June, a similar line of arguments was put forth by Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi, citing a group of French-Iranian lawyers who reasoned that here are no legal obstacles for the EU to blacklist the Revolutionary Guards. 

“Listing this entity, which is dedicated not to protecting Iran or Iranians but instead the power of the dictatorship, would be a strong and long-awaited recognition of reality and a show of support to my compatriots who are fighting for freedom and democracy in our country,” Prince Pahlavi said in June. 

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“The IRC's link with terrorism is unquestionable,” Incir and Reuten stated, noting that the IRGC and its proxies have a “well-established record of terrorist activity inside Iran, across the wider region, and within the EU.” 

Calling on the Council to hold the Revolutionary Guard to account, they said, “As the IRGC doubles down on its terrorist activity with impunity and continues to wage terror on the people of Iran by way of hundreds of executions this year alone, we urge you to explore all legal avenues to initiate IRGC proscription without delay.” 

“Your support for strong measures against the Islamic Republic will be indispensable for the people of Iran,” they concluded. 

In April, more than 130 Democratic and Republican Congresspeople issued a letter asking the European Union to designate Iran’s IRGC as a terrorist organization. The move came after the Biden administration denied it is pressuring Britain not to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization, as reported by The Telegraph. 

The UN Human Rights Council discussed a fact-finding report July 6 that said the regime continues its crackdown on dissent to stifle the nationwide protests ignited by death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last September.

The E3 countries – France, Germany and the United Kingdom - have announced that they will keep in place sanctions imposed on the regime over its ballistic missile program beyond the October expiration date. They argue that they have ample evidence that the regime is violating its commitments under the deal both with weapons supplies to Russia and its clandestine uranium enrichment. 

Biden added that an agreement would involve a defense treaty and a civilian nuclear program from the United States, confirming reports that Riyadh has demanded US nuclear technology as a pre-condition to a deal.

US officials have been negotiating in a bid to reach an elusive normalization deal between the two countries since the establishment of Israel in 1948.

"We're a long way from there. We got a lot to talk about," Biden said in an interview with "Fareed Zakaria's GPS.

Israel's energy minister expressed opposition last month to the idea of Saudi Arabia developing a civilian nuclear program as part of any US-mediated normalization deal.

Biden pointed to Saudi Arabia's decision on the eve of his visit to the kingdom last summer to open its airspace to all air carriers, paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel.

The US president also noted efforts toward a permanent ceasefire in Yemen, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and has widely been seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

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"So, we're making progress in the region. And it depends upon the conduct and what is asked of us for them to recognize Israel," Biden said in the interview.

"Quite frankly, I don't think they have much of a problem with Israel. And whether or not we would provide a means by which they could have civilian nuclear power and/or be a guarantor of their security, that's - I think that's a little way off."

Israel has said it expected to be consulted by Washington on a US-Saudi deal affecting its national security. Israel, which is outside the voluntary Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has no nuclear energy, is widely believed to have atomic weapons.

Pointing to precedents like Iraq and Libya, Israel has long worried that potentially hostile neighbors could use civilian nuclear energy and other projects developed under the 1970 NPT as cover for clandestine bombmaking.

Israel is also extremely concerned about Iran’s nuclear program that has been expanding to dangerous levels and has threatened to use military force if it feels Tehran crosses the red line of 90-percent uranium enrichment.

Public fury grew in the Arab world last week after one of Israel's biggest military operations in the occupied West Bank in years, a raid in a Jenin refugee camp, a Palestinian militant stronghold.

Saudia Arabia on Tuesday joined other Arab League nations in condemning the raid, which killed 12 Palestinians. Even before the latest violence, Riyadh said normalization is not possible until Palestinian statehood goals have been addressed.

Israel’s religious-nationalist government has acknowledged setbacks in the normalization efforts amid Saudi censure of its policies toward the Palestinians.

Israel Foreign Minister Eli Cohen sounded a hopeful note on Sunday about the rare participation of an Israeli delegation at a Riyadh-hosted soccer video-gaming tournament over the weekend.

"Ultimately we want to reach a state of full relations - meaning cooperation on economic matters, intelligence, tourism, flights, et cetera - and I reckon this will happen sooner or later," he told Israel’s Army Radio.

The Israel Football Association, which is managing the delegation at the FIFAe World Cup Riyadh 2023, said its participation was enabled by Riyadh’s agreement to admit all comers - not any arrangement between the Saudi and Israeli governments.

Reporting by Reuters

It is possible that the Iranian in question is Yousef Shahbazi Abbasalilo, who was allegedly snatched from Iranian soil by Israel for planning attacks on Israeli targets in Cyprus, reported the London-based Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday.

It is not clear if Israel abducted Abbasalilo before or after Tsurkov was abducted.

Sources told the outlet that Moscow is mediating talks that could result in Tsurkov's release soon.

The pro-Iranian militia Kata’ib Hezbollah is believed to be holding Tsurkov in Iraq, while other sources suggest she has been taken to Iran.

On July 3, an Iraqi official told Israeli media that the Islamic Republic has been involved in the abduction in Iraq of the academic.

While Kata'ib Hezbollah denied any involvement in Tsurkov’s kidnapping, an Iraqi official told Israel's Channel 11 that she was arrested by Iraq's intelligence service - or someone posing as such - before being handed over to Iran-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah which has been holding her for months.

An expert on regional proxies across the Middle East including Turkey's proxies in Syria, Tsurkov had traveled to several of the region's terror hotspots.

Tsurkov's mother Irena said they lost contact two months ago. "From what I had known until today, she was in Turkey, working on her research for Princeton. I didn't even know she was in Iraq," she told Israel's N12 News.

Tehran University's public relations office said the decision was made in a meeting attended by the head of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's representatives at the universities and the education deputy of Hashd al-Shaabi on Sunday.

"We apply scientific standards to our friends in Hashd al-Shaabi more than other foreign students, because our goal is to improve the professional capabilities of Muslim fighters," said Dean of Tehran University Mohammad Moqimi at the meeting.

The Islamic Republic's efforts to train the Hashd al-Shaabi come in a situation that in recent months many reports have indicated expansion of cooperation between Tehran and Iraqi militia groups.

Last month, Iran International disclosed information about the role of the Islamic Republic in the establishment of the engineering arm of the Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi.

According to the information, the Islamic Republic has obtained permits for the establishment of a company for this purpose in exchange for supporting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani to win his office.

The Muhandis General Company (Sharakat al-Muhandis al-Amma) takes its name from Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the former deputy commander of Hashd al-Shaabi -- also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) -- and a close comrade of former IRGC’s extraterritorial Quds force commander Qassem Soleimani. They were both killed in January 2020 by a US drone strike.

The Muhandis company seeks to become the Iraqi version of Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, IRGC’s engineering and contracting arm. Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarter is one of Iran's largest contractors in industrial and development projects.

Hengaw and Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported on Sunday that intelligence organizations refused to hand over the body of Mousa Esmaili to his family to hold a funeral ceremony.

According to these reports, after 62 days of detention, officials of the Urmia intelligence department called Ismaili's family and "without any explanation" asked them to come and receive the body of their son, but they refused to hand over the body later.

Esmaili, 35, from the village of Pasavi, was arrested on May 7 while the agents confiscated his car as well.

According to Hengaw, a source close to Ismaili's family said, "without any explanation or providing evidence of any judicial process and trial the security officers only said that Mousa was executed.”

Based on the report, Ismaili has not appeared in any court, and it is not even clear what were the charges against him. His family also insists that he was killed under duress.

The security and intelligence have also threatened the family that talking about the issue and publicizing it will have serious consequences for them.

Hengaw added that Esmaili had no contact with his family since his arrest, and during this time, the family's follow-ups with police and courts remained unanswered.

Iranian intelligence and security agencies often bring unsubstantiated charges against dissidents, who are then tried behind closed doors without a lawyer. Several have died in unclear circumstances and torture.