Response to interpellation 2023/24:647 on the terrorist listing of the IRGC

Utrikesministern Tobias Billström (M)

Madam Speaker! [The questioner] has asked me if I and the government are working to create unity within the EU to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) as a terrorist organization and how I and the government are working to fulfill the declaration that was adopted by a united Riksdag.

As I have answered previously on several parliamentary questions and interpellations on this issue, the government's view has consistently been that Sweden shall work for the most powerful possible line against the Iranian regime's oppression, within the framework of EU unity.

Regarding our line anchored in the Riksdag, that is, to work for EU unity to list IRGC as a terrorist organization, Sweden is conducting regular diplomatic work to advance this issue. We have, among other things, raised our support for a listing at the meeting of foreign ministers on 22 April, as well as in the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence (Kusp) and in the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper). We have also consulted other member states on the issue to continuously follow up on the political and legal conditions for moving the issue forward. The High Representative Josep Borrell, in connection with the informal meeting of foreign ministers on 16 April, announced his intention to task the Council's legal service to re-examine the legal conditions for a terrorist listing of IRGC. It remains the assessment that the necessary broad support is lacking within the EU for just such a terrorist listing.

I also want to emphasize here in the chamber today that the EU has acted very forcefully against Iran. There have been sanctions against the entire Revolutionary Guard for more than a decade due to its involvement in Iran's nuclear program. This gives us several effective tools, for example, freezing of assets and entry bans in the EU. A number of units and individuals within the Revolutionary Guard are also listed under the sanctions regime due to the deteriorating situation for human rights in Iran.

The recent developments regarding Iran's missile and drone attacks against Israel, which have been strongly condemned by Sweden and the EU, provide reason to consider further tightened sanction measures against Iran. This discussion is ongoing within the EU, and Sweden is participating in it.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Alexandra Völker (S)

Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by thanking the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the answer. It is very true that the Minister for Foreign Affairs has had to answer this question in several interpellation debates earlier, and that is because many of us are not fully satisfied with how the government has handled the issue.

We have been clear about how regrettable we find it that the government did not push this issue forward during and during the EU presidency. But after hard work from the opposition, a united Riksdag still stood behind the announcement almost a year ago that the government shall work to create unity among the EU's member countries to blacklist the revolutionary guard IRGC. It was an incredibly important decision from a united Riksdag, and I am also glad to see that there is a great commitment here in the chamber today.

The fact that we continue to push on this issue is because we believe it is so incredibly important. The Revolutionary Guard, which is the Iranian regime's armed branch, carries out terror against both its own population in Iran and against people outside Iran. Just in the last few days, the regime has issued a death sentence against the rapper Toomaj Salehi who, with his music, described and expressed criticism of the Iranian regime's oppression. For this, he has now been sentenced to death by the same regime.

We also see time and again how Iran uses kidnapping as a method, how they deprive foreign citizens of their liberty on arbitrary grounds, and how those who are regarded by the regime as Iranian citizens and who engage in opposition against the regime risk being captured not only on Iranian soil. We have several times seen how Iran has taken political opponents outside the country's borders and brought them to Iran, where in the worst cases they have been faced with the irrevocable death penalty. Now we also see how Iran acts in the Middle East.

It is good that the government has raised the issue of terror listing at the points where the Foreign Minister takes it up in his answer. It is also very pleasing that Borrell has signaled his intention to task the Council's legal service to re-examine the legal conditions for terror-listing the Revolutionary Guard.

Madam Speaker! The Minister for Foreign Affairs mentions in his answer that for more than a decade there have been sanctions against the entire Revolutionary Guard due to its involvement in Iran's nuclear program, that several units and individuals within the Revolutionary Guard are listed under the sanctions regime on the grounds of the deteriorating situation for human rights and that "the latest development with Iran's missile and drone attack against Israel gives reason to consider further tightened sanction measures against Iran".

All the examples that the Minister for Foreign Affairs raises in his answer show that Iran and its armed branch the Revolutionary Guard constitute an incredibly large threat, and for me these are further concrete examples that show why the Revolutionary Guard should be blacklisted.

Therefore, I want to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs: Does the government support Borrell in his intention to look again at the legal conditions? What can Sweden do to create broad support within the EU to put the Revolutionary Guard on the terror list?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)

Madam Speaker! There is no doubt that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard carries out terrorist actions. Furthermore, they have active cooperation with organizations that are on terror lists, such as Hezbollah and Hamas. Even the Swedish Parliament, through its decision in May last year, has stated that it considers the Islamic Revolutionary Guard to be a terrorist organization.

However, within the EU, there have been difficulties in listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization because there is a requirement that a judicial authority must have made a decision that a certain organization is indicted or has been convicted of a terrorist act before one can list that organization as a terrorist organization. So those are the rules.

The question is whether a law enforcement authority has made such a decision when it concerns Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard. In a judgment from the Court of Justice of the European Union on November 30, 2022, where the PKK contested the EU's listing of the PKK as a terrorist organization, the court established that the competent authority according to Article 1.4 in common position 2001/931 is not limited to the authorities of the Member States but can, in principle, also include authorities in third countries.

In other words, an organization can be blacklisted as a terrorist organization within the EU if a third country, through its law enforcement authority, has established that the organization in question has committed acts of terrorism. Other documents from EU bodies also state that a decision from a law enforcement authority in a third country can serve as a basis for a member state within the EU to initiate a process to blacklist an organization.

Then the question suddenly becomes whether there are law enforcement authorities in a country with the rule of law that have made decisions that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard has committed an act of terrorism.

It exists. In a judgment from May 20, 2021, it is established in the Superior Court of Justice in Ontario that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard's downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane on January 8, 2020, was an act of terrorism and constitutes terrorist activity according to Canadian legislation. It is also worth mentioning that 17 Swedes died when the plane was shot down. A total of 176 people perished. This was one of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard's many acts of terrorism.

In this case, a Canadian law enforcement agency decided to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as a perpetrator and assessed that their action was an act of terrorism. As far as I know, Canada is a country with the rule of law, and therefore Sweden has a basis to initiate a process to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. The question is whether one wants to do so.

It is also a question of interpretation. There are clear cases like the one in Canada, where a judicial authority identifies precisely the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as an organization that has committed a certain act of terrorism. But long before that, in April 1997, a German court ruled that Iran's intelligence minister Ali Fallahian was responsible for the murders of members of the Iranian-Kurdish opposition. These murders took place on German territory.

There is, therefore, quite a lot of grounds for Sweden to start a process within the EU to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. The question is whether the government has the will to carry this out.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Sara Gille (SD)

Madam Speaker! I want to start by saying that it is very fascinating that the Social Democrats are raising just this question now that they are no longer in a position of government. If they had missed it, it is namely that the IRGC and the oppression in Iran is nothing new. It existed during their time in a position of government. Did the Social Democrats do anything during that time?

No. Instead, they chose to invite Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to Sweden, and the Social Democrats' then Foreign Minister Ann Linde chose to participate in the celebration of the Islamic Republic's national day.

In addition, the Social Democrats have represented the Swedish Muslim Council, the Swedish Muslim Association, United Islamic Associations in Sweden, the Islamic Association in Stockholm, as well as a long series of affiliated sub-associations - all to get more votes.

Madam Speaker! I am not saying that the issue is not important, because it is. But I simply do not understand the Social Democrats, other than that they do everything to get votes, for example by coddling Islamists.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard IRGC is a terrorist organization that commits horrific crimes against other countries and also oppresses its own people. It is a terrorist organization that is significant for Hamas and other terrorist organizations and that brutally murders innocent people.

I understand that it is not easy to terrorist-label given the need for coordination in the EU. Unfortunately, there is a lack of broad support within the EU for such a listing. This is an aspect that we must contend with, even though we actually want to take out the magic wand and terrorist-list the IRGC.

We Sweden Democrats have pushed the issue for a long time, and we have several motions on the issue being discussed right now. Our motion last year is a contributing factor to the Riksdag's announcement regarding the terror list IRGC. What have the Social Democrats contributed?

Now we have a government that is trying to work towards an EU consensus to blacklist the IRGC. It is a government that is actively consulting other EU member states on the issue. The government now has a parliamentary majority behind it regarding blacklisting the IRGC thanks to the Sweden Democrats, and the EU committee has made a decision to pursue the toughest possible line. With that said, I would still like to hear from Foreign Minister Tobias Billström how the government is pushing forward on the issue of the toughest possible line.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Markus Wiechel (SD)

Madam Speaker! In line with the interpellor, I would like to mention one of the more tragic pieces of news we have heard this week, namely, of course, the death sentence against the Iranian hip-hop artist Toomaj Salehi. He is a person who can be seen as one of the foremost symbols of the struggle for freedom against the oppressive regime in Iran. I hope that the government does its utmost not only to prevent this death sentence from being carried out but also to demand his release and to ensure that no more meet the same fate. I will repeatedly remind of his music and the brave struggle for freedom that he symbolizes for many. Just last year, 853 people were executed in Iran.

Madam Speaker! Why is the terror listing of IRGC so important? IRGC is today the primary protection for the Iranian oppressive regime and for it to be able to remain in power. It is our duty in the free world to do our utmost to liberate the Iranian people from the occupiers.

There are those who claim that this is not effective. That is incorrect. The IRGC is a huge organization with a multitude of front companies and branches all over the world, even here in Sweden. Sanctions must be targeted at all of them, and they must be included in the terror-listing mechanism that exists today through the EU.

It is simply not true that individual sanctions aimed at individual persons would hit harder than sanctions aimed at this organization. In such cases, resolution 1373, which this is about, could actually be completely scrapped. Then one would only be able to direct sanctions against individual persons.

Madam Speaker! It is of course good that Josep Borrell should investigate new possibilities, as the Minister for Foreign Affairs mentioned. But it was not actually necessary. There are two ways to terrorize, and both are fully possible. The National Assembly of Iranian Jurists has clarified this, and one simply has to go there and follow their instructions and read what they say. There are also, just as Nima Gholam Ali Pour said in his statement, other judgments, including regarding the downing of the plane where, among others, Swedish citizens perished.

In other words, it is important that the government pushes forward in accordance with the announcement on terror listing that the Riksdag directed to the government last year. It is also very positive that the government is pursuing a significantly tougher line than previous S-governments have done.

With this said, Madam Speaker, I want to turn to the Social Democrats. Now that the Social Democrats have changed 180 degrees in the Iran policy, from sitting in a government position to having ended up in opposition, what guarantees do we have that, in the event of a change of government, you will not return to the appeasement policy that you pursued towards the Iranian oppressive regime? It is important that we push through a change of the possibilities to direct sanctions now that there are certain obstacles, even if I do not see these obstacles. Can the Social Democrats help, together with the Sweden Democrats and the Center Party, to push through a new announcement on changing the terror listing procedure?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Joar Forssell (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for his presence here, and I thank the interpellator for an important debate.

A second cold war is underway in the world, which this time is played out with on one side the Western world's democracies and on the other side Iran, China, Russia and North Korea in a coalition. They are trying to fight against us in different ways.

Madam Speaker! In every country that hates democracy, freedom, and people living as they choose, a very serious oppression of its own population is taking place. In the case of Iran, one can only state that it is perhaps the worst oppression on our earth right now. The Iranian people must not be confused with the Iranian regime, which unfortunately can sometimes sound like the case in the debate if one is not careful with how the words are presented. The Iranian people do not want the Islamist regime that rules Iran today. We must support the Iranian people against the Islamist dictatorship. A part of that is the terror-listed IRGC. If the Iranian regime is to be overthrown - as the Iranian people want - the ultimate protection for the Iranian regime must disappear, and that is the IRGC. With the help of terror listing, it is possible to target the IRGC in a harder, tougher, and broader way than sanctions alone do.

Sanctions are good, and we naturally want to target more and tougher sanctions against more. But a terror listing goes all the way. The legislation on terror listing that is in place today can be complicated when one wants to terror-list groups for which there is an obvious strong political support. It is a regulatory framework that came into being after the terrorist acts on September 11. This discussion also underlines the importance of modernizing the regulatory framework. It is something that the Liberals have thought for a long time and which has been decided at our annual meetings.

Madam Speaker! The Iranian regime kidnaps people from other countries, and the country carries out executions and issues death sentences. Iran oppresses its own people, and the country has the worst terror regime that exists on our planet right now. It is clear that every democrat must feel in their whole heart that one needs to stand on the side of the Iranian people.

We need to be tougher against the regime in Iran. I am glad that this government is going much further and is much tougher against Iran than the previous Social Democratic government has been. I agree with the calls to achieve a terror listing of the IRGC.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Utrikesministern Tobias Billström (M)

Madam Speaker! The government's view has consistently been that Sweden should advocate for the most powerful line against the Iranian regime's oppression within the framework of EU unity. It is not correct, as the interpellator Alexandra Völker attempts to do, that the government would not have done this. On the contrary, it has been done consistently. The clearest example is, of course, that when the question of the government's access was first put on the agenda in the Foreign Affairs Council, it was the first time in two years that the EU discussed Iran at all. One can ask what efforts the previous Social Democratic government made during those two years – none at all, as far as I know.

There may also be reasons, Madam Speaker, to continue discussing the issue of sanction measures.

The EU has taken several sanction measures against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard in its entirety as well as against individuals and entities within the IRGC under other sanction regimes.

Since earlier, the Directorate for Internal Security of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, MOIS, as well as several Iranian individuals who have been linked to acts of terrorism, have been listed under the EU's terrorism sanctions regime.

There may also be reasons to return to the conditions for a listing under the EU's terrorism sanctions.

Such a terror listing needs to meet the criteria of the rule of law, and this means, among other things, that a decision on listing requires unanimity among the EU's member states, who establish a connection to terrorism according to national legislation. This could, for example, involve a decision by the police to initiate a preliminary investigation or a decision by a prosecutor to bring an indictment or that a court has issued a conviction for terrorist acts or attempts thereof.

If such a decision originates from an authority in a third country, basic requirements for the right to a defense and an effective legal protection must also be met. The Council must also verify that the events underlying the listing did not occur too long ago.

Nima Gholam Ali Pour himself stated in his post that this is a matter of interpretation, I noted. It will therefore be a matter for the council's legal service to decide this in the report that comes back to the Foreign Affairs Council.

The interpellator Alexandra Völker can be fully convinced that we support High Representative Borrell's work in this matter.

Previously, among others, the directorate for internal security at the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, MOIS, has been listed under the EU's terrorism sanctions regime, just as I said a moment ago. There are therefore no obstacles in the current regulatory framework to also list IRGC under the EU's terrorism sanctions when the legal requirements have been met and there is agreement among the member states on a listing. I think it is important for the ongoing debate that we have this clear to us.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Alexandra Völker (S)

Madam Speaker! When I entered this chamber today, I thought: How wonderful to see so many members who want to be involved in debating the question of listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard IRGC on the terror list! But I also thought: I really hope that they are here for exactly that.

I am starting to get a bit tired of SD, Sverigedemokraterna, who turn all these important debates into a hunt for the Socialdemokraterna.

You are not just part of the government cooperation; you are the largest party. Despite that, neither SD nor the Liberals have been of any help at all during this time.

Would you, for example, have acted differently in the EU Committee had the government been tasked with working towards a terror listing of the Revolutionary Guard during the presidency?

During the chairmanship, if I am not mistaken, Iran was not a separate item on the agenda even once. It is not a matter of prioritizing this issue.

It is easy to stand here and be cocky, but you hold the power. Use it!

Madam Speaker! We often return to the question of the criteria. Several other interpellants have raised that question earlier. The criteria that are set for terror listings and how the regulatory framework should look were made in a somewhat different time. Many of us wonder if it is not time to review that regulatory framework. It is a question that is discussed in the EU Committee but also in the Foreign Affairs Committee.

We have seen that this type of problematic situation arises with groups like Wagner previously, but also with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard IRGC.

S clearly stands behind that we should review a change of the regulatory framework. As said, it is also an issue that is currently being discussed in the committee.

I look forward with anticipation to how the Sweden Democrats will vote - whether they will stand up for the fact that they support a change and actually want to issue a statement to the government, or whether they, as so many other times, choose to abstain.

I am also curious about whether the Liberals will stand behind a motion to the government on this issue.

But I am even more curious about how the Minister for Foreign Affairs views the question of reviewing the regulatory framework for terror listing.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)

Madam Speaker! There are competent judicial authorities that have made decisions to establish that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard has committed acts of terrorism, but also that parts of the Iranian government have done this.

We know that Iran invests billions annually in supporting terrorist organizations, and the operational activity in this support to terrorists is managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. This is a fact that no one would deny.

When we also have a judgment from a court in Canada that clearly identifies the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as responsible for an act of terrorism, one wonders what is preventing the Swedish government from initiating a process to blacklist the Islamic Revolutionary Guard.

If one distrusts German and Canadian law enforcement authorities, it was not long ago that Säpo for the first time identified the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as the organization that planned to murder several Swedish Jews.

What is required for the government to judge that a competent authority has made a decision designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as terrorists?

I perceive it as the government interpreting the rules on terror listing within the EU very restrictively when it comes specifically to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard.

At the same time, we know that this is a dangerous organization that is prepared to murder civilians, and we know that Jews and Iranians in exile, and actually everyone who opposes the mullahs, would have a safer existence if the Islamic Revolutionary Guard were put on a terror list.

The question is: What is the government waiting for?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Sara Gille (SD)

Madam Speaker! We must never forget what the Social Democrats have done to Sweden, but also never what they have never done for Sweden.

If one had a genuine interest and commitment to this issue, one would have acted earlier instead of coming now when one is in opposition and pointing the finger.

The celebration of the Islamic revolution, which symbolizes the massive oppression we have seen in Iran since the revolution, was apparently more important than actually standing up against the women-oppressing regime in Iran.

We have known for a long time that the Social Democrats are Islamist-sympathizers. We have seen that on numerous occasions. But why is it so important for the Social Democrats right now? Well, it is apparently more fun to criticize the current government than it was to do something about this oneself when one had the opportunity.

But I still want to thank the interpellor for finally waking up to this extremely important issue.

As I said in my previous speech, it is because that virtually the entire Riksdag agrees with a terror listing of IRGC that the Minister can now take a harder tone in the EU against IRGC.

Regarding the EU Committee, it was our members sitting in the EU Committee who ensured that it would be written in that the toughest possible measures should be taken against IRGC. The member can read it in the minutes if she wants facts instead of something taken out of thin air.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Markus Wiechel (SD)

Madam Speaker! I also want to thank the interpellor for raising this important issue. I am sincerely very pleased that the interpellor has done so.

I intended to return to the regulatory framework that the Foreign Minister also mentioned. It is a blunt regulatory framework. For that reason, I think it is interesting to hear if the Foreign Minister is prepared to work towards changing this blunt regulatory framework.

If one is to trust the Social Democrats' shift on this issue, one can actually expect that there will be a majority against the government on the matter and that the Social Democrats, Center Party, Left Party, Sweden Democrats and Green Party will thus together push through a changed regulatory framework.

I also want to turn to Alexandra Völker, who said "You hold the power - use it!". That is why it is important for me to point out that you held the power. Why did you not use it? A reasonable question to ask is: What guarantees do we actually have that you will not again, if you win the election, turn 180 degrees and return to the Iran policy you pursued when you were in power?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Joar Forssell (L)

Madam Speaker! The Social Democrats also directed some questions to us. They are known as world champions in driving opposition against themselves; that is what they engage in here as well. They have governed Sweden in 85 percent, or something like that, of all the years since we introduced democracy, and they are still in opposition to most of what they have done and have not done.

Madam Speaker! I would like to thank the Minister for the clear statement that the government is pushing forward in this matter. What still emerges in this debate is that we will need a modernization of the regulatory framework. That is partly another issue - we have the regulatory framework we have, and within its framework, we will do what we can to succeed in achieving a terror listing of the IRGC.

Parallel to this, however, I and the Liberals believe that we also need to have a discussion on how we can modernize the regulatory framework. There are more groups. We have previously in this debate raised Wagner, which has been on the agenda to be terror-listed – the Russian military group that committed a multitude of serious war crimes in Ukraine. There are surely other examples of Swedish groups. One could consider whether one should not terror-list NMR, which has engaged in acts of violence here in Sweden. There are thus different groups, in the world and in Sweden, that would need to be terror-listed, but that requires a modernized regulatory framework.

Madam Speaker! I just want, as a final thing before my speaking time expires, to underline the importance of us, as democrats, standing on the side of the Iranian people. The Iranian people have suffered enough under the Islamist regime. The oppression must end. We, as democrats, have a responsibility to stand on their side. The oppression, the executions, the death sentences, and the kidnappings must end. If one is a democrat, one stands on the side of the Iranian people, and that is why it is so important with a terror listing of the IRGC.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Utrikesministern Tobias Billström (M)

Madam Speaker! I would also like to take this opportunity to say a few words about the regional situation, which has a certain bearing on what we are now discussing. The developments in the Middle East are very worrying. Tension in the region remains high, and it is very important that all parties show restraint to counter escalation. Further escalation in the region is not in anyone's interest. This is the view of the Swedish government as well as the EU, USA, UN, and regional actors.

We do not see that the Iranian attacks against Israel on April 13, which the government has strongly condemned, in themselves change the legal conditions for a listing of the IRGC under the EU's sanctions regime against terrorism. On the other hand, in light of the developments in the Middle East, we see a renewed will among the EU member states to review and tighten the sanctions measures directed against Iran. Several member states have recently expressed a desire for the conditions for listing the IRGC to be reviewed and for the EU institutions to now carry out a renewed analysis of whether the legal conditions are met. The government welcomes this and looks forward to the updated analysis. I think it is important to emphasize that this is also a procedural matter.

Furthermore, the German Foreign Ministry has alerted the EU to a judgment from a regional court in a murder-arson case, in which state Iranian authorities were allegedly implicated. That judgment will also be analyzed in connection with the EU institutions reviewing the legal conditions for listing the IRGC on the terror list.

Sweden continues to follow up on the issue within the EU.

Questions have also been asked here about how we view the IRGC's role, and I want to emphasize this: Sweden holds no illusions about Iran's role. Let me be very clear about this to those listening here in the chamber today. Iran has a great influence in the region - over Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and other actors - and naturally also further away. Iran has a great responsibility for the negative developments in the region and an obligation to contribute to preventing an escalation that could lead to a large-scale conflict. It is important to emphasize the government's position on this issue.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Alexandra Völker (S)

Madam Speaker! It is interesting to listen to this debate - one could almost believe that it was the Social Democrats who were in government and the Tidö parties who were in opposition. But now it is not we Social Democrats who have the power to govern foreign policy, but it is the Tidö parties.

When one has power, one also has a great responsibility. We wish that this responsibility had been taken much earlier in this issue. We wish that, for example, one had not opposed giving the government the sharp mandate that one can actually give it through the EU Committee: to push forward on the issue of listing the Revolutionary Guard on the terror list.

But I am happy about the unity we see today. In Iran, people fight every day to achieve the dream of freedom and democracy - to not have their lives limited by an undemocratic regime, which rules with terror as a means of power. It is not just about the people in Iran but also, as said, about people far outside Iran's borders.

In the Riksdag, the Minister for Foreign Affairs today has strong and unanimous support to blacklist the Revolutionary Guard. If it turns out as it sounds here in the chamber today, you also have a majority behind you on the issue of reviewing the regulatory framework. I truly hope that the government uses this support.

Many thanks for the debate! I perceive that we will still move forward slowly, and that is important - for all our safety and for the people in Iran.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Utrikesministern Tobias Billström (M)

Madam Speaker! I would like to thank the members for a good debate and a great commitment from everyone. It also shows how important this issue is.

Sweden, under this government, has been one of the driving countries when it comes to keeping Iran on the international agenda. As recently as last Monday, we, the EU's foreign ministers, reached an agreement to expand the sanctions regime against Iran's military support to Russia. The expansion covers several dimensions. Missiles, which Iran has been reported to be preparing for sale to Russia, shall now be covered by the sanctions regime, which was previously focused on drones. More components used for drone manufacturing shall also be covered by export bans. Finally, the sanctions regime shall be expanded geographically to cover the transfer of drones and missiles not only to Russia but also within the Middle East and to the Red Sea region, for example to Iran's regional proxies.

Iran's role in the region was also something that I raised at the EU's meeting with the GCC, our foreign minister colleagues in the Gulf region, which was held in connection with Monday's FAC.

It is important that the rest of the world continues to focus attention on Iran, which today's debate here in the chamber is an expression of. Sweden continues to work for strong international pressure that effectively counters repression, supports the people's demands for respect for human rights, and clearly marks that Iran's actions have international consequences.

The interpellations debate was hereby concluded.

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