Belgian Government Supports Adding IRGC To EU Terror List

Tensions escalated three months ago when Pakistan conducted airstrikes in southeastern Iran following attacks by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards within Pakistani territory. Both countries stated that their strikes aimed at "terrorist hideouts", both ended up with civilian deaths including women and children. 

Iran claimed its operations targeted bases of the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl, while Pakistan said its attacks were directed at insurgents generally referred to as "Sarmachar."

During his visit, Raisi also held discussions with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The two countries restored diplomatic relations in January after the border clashes had seen ambassadors recalled for a short period. In January, a joint naval exercise was held by the two nations off the coast of Bandar Abbas, involving combat vessels and missile-launching warships.

The relationship between Pakistan and Iran has been complex. Iran sees Pakistan as influenced by Islamabad's historically closer ties to Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Earlier this year, the US blocked a planned gas line project revival between Pakistan and Iran, warning it would result in more US sanctions. It has been on hold for over a decade. 

Despite the clear evidence of the strike, the Islamic Republic persisted in its state of denial.

What Does Israel's Strike Reveal About Iran's Air Defence System?

According to US sources, three missiles were launched towards Isfahan’s Eighth Shekari Air Base from outside Iran's airspace, breaching its air defense shield. The strike, as shown by satellite imagery, caused damage to the engagement radar, a crucial component of Iran's S-300 air defense systems. The S-300 is a family of Russian-made surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems.

Just a day or two before the attack, media affiliated with the Islamic Republic boasted about Iran's air defense system's capability and readiness to confront Israeli fighter jets and precision missiles by publishing images of Iranian made air defense systems. In recent years, Iran has undergone a notable evolution in its air defense capabilities. As of the end of 2023, Iran boasts the development of 21 indigenous mobile air defense systems. These systems offer comprehensive coverage, spanning from low to high-altitude surveillance air defense systems.

Among these layers stands the Bavar-373 (Belief) long-range air defense system, claimed to surpass both the Russian S-300 and U.S. Patriot systems. The Islamic Republic boldly asserts that the Bavar-373 possesses the capability to detect and engage high-altitude and stealth aircraft, helicopters, drones, as well as anti-radiation, ballistic, and cruise missiles. Similar to the S-300, the Bavar-373 includes a command vehicle, search radar, engagement radar, and up to six launchers.

In 2016, Iran acquired four S-300 battalions from Russia, predating the introduction of the Bavar 373 in 2019. Allegedly, half of one of S-300 battalions is annually redeployed to Mashhad to safeguard Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Yet, with the presence of the S-300 in Isfahan's airbase, targeted by Israeli missile strikes, and the periodic relocation of part of the S-300 battalion to Mashhad during Khamenei's annual visits to the city, one might question Iran's professed confidence in its indigenous air defense.

Underestimation: A Risky Gambit

The precision strike executed by Israeli fighter jets, coupled with the dismantling of the radar engagement system in Iran's S-300 air defense network, starkly exposes the vulnerabilities within Iran's aerial shield. US military sources suggest that the strike was intended to demonstrate Israel's ability to penetrate Iran's defensive systems unnoticed. However, one should not underestimate Iran's determined efforts to bolster and expand its air defense capabilities.

On June 20, 2019, Iranian forces downed a US military surveillance drone flying over the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The Khordad 3 anti-aircraft system was hailed as the hunter.

Some military analysts argue that Israeli long-range missiles were fired from Iraq's airspace onto an airbase in Isfahan. Iran's bold move of arming so called ‘Axis of Resistance’ group has already set the stage for chaos. If the Islamic Republic succeeds in deploying air defense systems to its regional proxies, establishing a defensive stronghold in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and even Yemen, it would create an air defense axis, presenting a significant challenge to the aerial supremacy of Israeli forces and their allies, which were one of the key factors in Israel's success in intercepting 99% of Iran's projectiles on April 12. This journey is well underway, as evidenced by the shootdown of an American MQ-9 Reaper drone, by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen on November 8,2023 . Farzin Nadimi, a Senior Fellow with The Washington Institute, attribute the likely use of Iranian-made "Item 358" air defense cruise missiles in the attack.

Expanding its arsenal beyond the existing 21 mobile air defense systems, the Islamic Republic introduced two additional defense systems: The Arman anti-ballistic missile system and the Azarakhsh low-altitude air defense system. Unveiled by the Ministry of Defence on February 19, these additions underscore Iran's ongoing efforts to enhance its aerial defense capabilities.

Disregarding the satellite images that prove the accuracy of Israeli military tech, the country’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, brushes off the low success rate of the Islamic Republic's missile launches as “secondary issue”.

What was scarcely mentioned in his meeting with high-ranking military commanders on Sunday was his emphasis on innovation in armaments. He remarked: "We mustn't pause for a moment, as stagnation implies regression. Therefore, innovation in armaments and tactics, along with a thorough understanding of the enemy's strategies, should always remain a priority."

The directive from the Leader of the Islamic Republic is crystal clear: the enhancement of Iran's air defense system extends beyond national borders to include its proxy forces.

Mohammad Eslami on Tuesday once again claimed that the project "seeks to align Iran with global standards in nuclear power production," referring to boosting electricity generation using nuclear reactors. Iran already has a reactor, built by Russia, which contributes a small amount of electricity to the grid.

However, Tehran pursues a second track in its nuclear activities by enriching uranium to 60-percent purity, which could only have a weaponization purpose. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly warned that Iran is exceeding its enrichment limits.

The IAEA Director General, Rafael Grossi, in an interview with DW, said Iran's rapid uranium enrichment is "weeks rather than months" from accumulating enough enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb, although he clarified that this does not imply an immediate capability to construct a nuclear weapon.

The project to build more reactors is mostly a plan at this stage, because Iran would need full foreign technical assistance, which even Russia might be reluctant to provide. Also, Iran is in a downward economic spiral and can hardly invest billions of dollars in such an expensive project, while it has vast natural gas reserves it can invest in and develop to boost power generation.

The IAEA has reported finding traces of enriched uranium at sites not declared by Iran, all while not allowing full access to the IAEA inspectors. Grossi stressed the importance of cooperation and access, suggesting that increased transparency is crucial for Iran if it wishes to be perceived as compliant with international nuclear norms.

"I have been telling my Iranian counterparts time and again... this activity raises eyebrows, and compounded with the fact that we are not getting the necessary degree of access and visibility that I believe should be necessary," Grossi stated.

Amid Iran's conflict with Israel which moved from a shadow war into the light this month, A senior IRGC commander warned last week that Tehran could change its nuclear policies if Israel continues to threaten to attack Iran’s nuclear sites, tacitly suggesting no cooperation with world bodies and building a nuclear bomb. It came after an alleged Israeli air strike targeting air defenses at Iran's nuclear sites. 

“If the fake Zionist regime wants to use the threat of attacking nuclear sites to put pressure on Iran, it is possible and conceivable for the Islamic Republic to revise its nuclear doctrine and policies, and deviate from its past declared considerations,” said Ahmad Haghtalab, who is in charge of the security of Iran’s nuclear sites.

In February, Ali-Akbar Salehi, the former head of Iran's nuclear agency, implied that the country has everything it needs for an A-bomb: "We have [crossed] all the thresholds of nuclear science and technology. Here's an example: Imagine what a car needs; it needs a chassis, an engine, a steering wheel, a gearbox. You're asking if we've made the gearbox, I say yes. Have we made the engine? Yes, but each one serves its own purpose."

Earlier this month, an advisor to Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf hinted at Tehran’s military use of its nuclear program. “Iran has a nuclear program in addition to its missile program,” wrote Mehdi Mohammadi on X in what can be construed as a shrouded threat against Israel and its allies.

Meanwhile on the diplomatic stage, Tehran claims the enrichment is for medical and civilian purposes, although Grossi has said that no country in history has enriched to 60 percent without a goal to build nuclear weapons.. 

The EU's decision followed Iran's extensive drone and missile attack on Israel, which Tehran asserts was a defensive measure in retaliation to a suspected Israeli assault on its consulate in Damascus.

"It is regrettable to see the EU deciding quickly to apply more unlawful restrictions against Iran just because Iran exercised its right to self-defense in the face of Israel’s reckless aggression," said Amir-Abdollahian on X urging the EU to reconsider its sanctions strategy and instead impose penalties on Israel.

The sanctions aim to augment existing restrictions placed on Iran for its role in supplying drones to Russia, used in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, mentioned that the sanctions would extend beyond Russia, addressing weapon deliveries to various regional proxies as well. Despite the actions, the EU has refrained from a formal "terrorist" designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), citing a lack of legal foundation, although the European Parliament had previously endorsed such a designation.

The attack involved over 350 drones and missiles targeting Israel, escalating tensions in the region, mostly intercepted by Israel and a US-led coalition of allies. Following the incident, EU foreign ministers convened on Monday and preliminarily agreed to impose broader sanctions, particularly targeting Iran's weapon exports, including drones and missiles to proxies and Russia.

The finalization and implementation of the expanded sanctions will require further legal structuring in Brussels.

The findings, according to human rights experts, underscore the systematic use of torture and rape by authorities, exposing a troubling pattern of abuse aimed at suppressing dissent.

The Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in Iran was a nationwide protest movement that started in September 2022, following the killing of Mahsa Jina Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman while in the custody of the regime’s so-called "morality police".

The protests persisted until at least January 2023 with over 500 protesters killed at the hands of state security forces, and over 19,400 protestors arrested as per reports by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

HRW’s investigation focused on violations against 10 prisoners detained amid the protests.

Between September and November 2022, the detainees from Kurdish, Baloch, and Azeri minorities endured grave abuses at the hands of Iranian security forces.

The victims, which included women, men, and children, provided HRW with testimonies of their experiences, recounting instances of torture and sexual assault inflicted upon them and other prisoners.

“Iranian security forces' brutality against detained protesters, including rape and torture, are not only egregious crimes but a weapon of injustice wielded against detainees to coerce them into false confessions,” said Nahid Naghshbandi, acting Iran researcher at HRW.

Naghshbandi also highlighted the systematic targeting of ethnic minorities in Iran, noting that the regime's use of rape and torture to further marginalize these communities.

Among the testimonies, a Kurdish woman revealed how she was raped by male security forces while their female colleague facilitated the assault in November 2022.

Another victim, a 24-year-old Kurdish man from West Azerbaijan province, described being tortured and raped with a baton after his arrest.

A 30-year-old man from East Azerbaijan Province told HRW how he and other protesters were subjected to gang rape by security forces in October 2022.

The report also brings attention to cases of suicide and severe physical trauma resulting from the sexual violence committed by the state's security officers. One woman is said to have taken her own life due to the emotional trauma inflicted upon her, while another required surgery to address injuries sustained during the assaults.

Emphasizing the urgent need for support and justice for survivors, Naghshbandi, stated that “accounts of brutal rape and the lasting traumatic consequences of those crimes should mobilize countries to meet the physical and psychological health needs of survivors who have managed to flee Iran...”

In response to HRW's findings, in an interview with Iran International, Mahmoud Amiri-Moghadam, director of Iran Human Rights, condemned the systematic use of torture and rape by various institutions of the Iranian regime, asserting that such atrocities must not go unpunished.

He underscored the importance of international awareness and accountability, urging the UN to take action against the perpetrators of these heinous crimes.

This latest report from HRW adds to a growing body of evidence documenting the widespread abuse of detainees by Iranian authorities.

Previous investigations by Amnesty International and the UN Fact-Finding Mission have similarly exposed the brutal tactics employed by Iranian authorities to suppress dissent.