EU to impose new sanctions on Belarus, Iran for ‘helping’ Russia in war on Ukraine: Spokesman

By Omer Tugrul Cam

BRUSSELS (AA) - The EU is set to impose new sanctions on Belarus and Iran for their support to Russia in the war against Ukraine.

"We will continue sanctioning those who are assisting, helping, and supporting in this illegal behavior by Russia, that means Belarus but also Iran and other people and entities from other countries if necessary," said Peter Stano, a spokesman for the European Commission.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, also said in a statement that they would increase pressure on the Kremlin and the countries giving military support to Russia.

Von der Leyen also stated they would impose new sanctions on Belarus.

The EU currently has imposed two sanctions packages against Belarus. One of them was launched on the grounds that the Belarusian government pressured the opposition and reportedly rigged the elections in August 2020.

These sanctions include restrictions on asset freezes, travel and funding bans for some Belarusian senior officials, including President Aleksander Lukashenko, and certain institutions and organizations.

Other EU sanctions against Belarus were included in the ninth package of sanctions against Russia.

The EU's last sanctions on Iran came in December 2022. It added a total of 24 individuals and 5 organizations in the sanctions list due to the interventions in the nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.