The EU is considering implementing sanctions on Iran due to its support of Hamas according to POLITICO.
In documents seen by POLITICO the big three EU states, Germany, France, and Italy have drawn up plans on how to further sanction Hamas, however, there seems to be a large internal split on whether it’s actually a good idea.
Despite the split, there are some within the EU that want to go ahead with planning extra sanctions on Iran, specifically a ban on the export of components used in the production of missiles.
The EU has already implemented a series of sanctions on Iran for various reasons including its continued proliferation of nuclear weapons and support of Russia in its war in Ukraine.
Several EU 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 insurance plan
Other diplomats countered that it would be a good insurance plan to draw up sanctions and wait to see if Iran escalates the war or if evidence surfaces showing their involvement in the war.
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 ‘defender of the (just) Palestinian cause.”
The documents also showed that the EU is concerned that a coalition of Arab states should be the lynchpin of the sanctions regime.
There are also proposals to expand the current sanctions list for Hamas, which began in 2003, to include more individuals associated with the organization.
