The European Union's 27 foreign ministers on Monday approved a second round of sanctions in less than a month against Iranian officials involved in the brutal repression of protesters.
The sanctions are targeted "against the people responsible for the repression of the demonstrators", said the EU's Josep Borrell ahead of the announcement.
"Foreign ministers adopted further sanctions against 29 individuals & 3 entities in #Iran due to their role in the death of #MahsaAmini and the violent response to ongoing demonstrations," tweeted the Czech presidency of the EU.
The identity of those targeted is expected be made public on publication in the EU's official journal later on Monday.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday the West should step up sanctions against Iran by targeting government officials who are part of the violent crackdown.
Tens of thousands of people across France and Europe have marched in solidarity protests with rebelling Iranians, demanding freedom for women and an end to the compulsory headscarf. French music and film stars, including two Oscar-winning actors, Marion Cotillard and Juliette Binoche, filmed themselves chopping off locks of their hair in support of protesters in Iran.
“Women in Iran fight this fight with exceptional courage under the threat to their lives and the lives of their loved ones,” Mr Macron told public radio FranceInter in a broadcast on Monday.
Their rebellion against the cleric-led state has “burst the ideological bubble” that Tehran has been sending to the world, Mr Macron said, namely that women there “were somehow happy to live in this constant state of obstruction”.
The ongoing protests of young Iranians born after the 1979 toppling of the monarchy who have only lived in the Shiite cleric-led state has proven them wrong, Mr Macron said.
“The grandchildren of the (Islamic) revolution are leading a revolution against that revolution,” he said.
He added that the West needs to support them in their struggle, including by toughening European sanctions targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“I am in favour of a strong diplomatic reaction and sanctions on the regime’s personalities who are responsible for the repression of this revolution,” Mr Macron said.
So far, 336 demonstrators have been killed in the unrest and nearly 15,100 detained, the activist HRANA news agency says.
Public outrage over the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, who was in custody of Iran's morality police for allegedly not wearing the hijab properly, has transformed into demands for an end of the hardline interpretation of Sharia under supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
On October 17, Brussels imposed a first round of sanctions on 15 Iranian officials and state entities, including Information Minister Issa Zarepour, for restricting access to the internet, as well as Iran’s law enforcement forces for their involvement in deadly clashes with protesters.
Tehran reacted with counter-measures and sanctioned MEPs as well as journalists, human rights defenders and institutions.
The EU's top diplomat Mr Borrell on Monday said such retaliatory action was to be expected. “I think it’s a mistake, in particular to sanction parliamentarians for doing their job,” he said.
Mr Borrell said he had spoken on Sunday to his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian.
The two diplomats discussed the ongoing protests, Iran's military support to Russia, and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear deal struck in 2015 between Iran and world powers that eased sanctions on Tehran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.
“We discussed JCPOA, we discussed the military support of Iran to Russia," Mr Borrell said. "That has to stop.
“JCPOA is about Iran becoming nuclear and the best way for Iran to not become nuclear is to continue work on the JCPOA.”
Mr Borrell is co-ordinating talks aimed at reviving the deal.
Iran said it had agreed to a visit by the UN’s nuclear watchdog this month. The group suspects Iran is expanding its production of enriched uranium above levels prohibited under the abandoned 2015 deal.
In a separate move, the EU imposed sanctions on Iran on October 20 over its supplying of drones to Russia to use in its war against Ukraine. Media reports also claim that Iran is sending ballistic missiles to Russia.
Questioned by The National, Mr Borrell said there was “no evidence about missiles but clear evidence about drones”. A senior EU official said last week that Brussels was working on independently verifying such reports.
Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Urmas Reinsalu said that Ukraine had told EU officials that Iran had transferred ballistic missiles to Russia.
"We have to take seriously Ukrainian warning and take all capabilities EU countries have to share information and make [an] intelligence assessment in that matter," he said.
Should such missiles transfers be true, Brussels should sanction Iran again with a "far more damaging sanctions mechanism" than the "symbolic sanctions" adopted on October 20 over drones, said Mr Reinsalu.
The biog
Name: Salvador Toriano Jr
Age: 59
From: Laguna, The Philippines
Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips
Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5-litre%20twin-turbo%20V6%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E456hp%20at%205%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E691Nm%20at%203%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E14.6L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh349%2C545%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
NBA FINALS SO FAR
(Toronto lead 3-2 in best-of-seven series)
Game 1 Raptors 118 Warriors 109
Game 2 Raptors 104 Warriors 109
Game 3 Warriors 109 Raptors 123
Game 4 Warriors 92 Raptors 105
Game 5 Raptors 105 Warriors 106
Game 6 Thursday, at Oakland
Game 7 Sunday, at Toronto (if needed)
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
LIVERPOOL%20TOP%20SCORERS
%3Cp%3E(Premier%20League%20only)%3Cbr%3EMohamed%20Salah%20129%3Cbr%3ERobbie%20Fowler%20128%3Cbr%3ESteven%20Gerrard%20120%3Cbr%3EMichael%20Owen%20118%3Cbr%3ESadio%20Mane%2090%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
