Schaake: Iranian people need support EU

The EU must not look away from the human rights situation in Iran because of the fragile atomic deal that the country has had with six major powers since 2015.

Protesters recently took to the streets in dozens of Iranian cities in protest against the regime. This involved deaths and injuries. Many EU parliamentarians criticize EU foreign chef Federica Mogherini for not saying anything about reports of mass arrests and torture. Even after a meeting earlier this month in Brussels with the Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, she did not mention the situation and said only that Iran keeps to the agreements of the atomic deal.

'To be credible, the EU must be tough on all fronts, and not just defend the core deal,' says Schaake. She is convinced that the march towards the freedom of the Iranian people can not be stopped, she said.

According to Bas Belder (SGP), the EU must clearly distance itself from the Iranian regime. He called the core deal 'a camouflage net. 'Europeans must not forget that they shake hands with people who are stoning women. 'He pointed to the call by the Iranian winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Shirin Ebadi, to the EU and the European Parliament to concretely support the Iranian citizens, for example by making free internet possible.