The ban comes amid a growing international outcry at Tehran’s crackdown on huge demonstrations that have swept across the country over the past two weeks.
At the weekend, Metsola raised the prospect of fresh EU sanctions as she expressed her support for the plight of the demonstrators, many of whom have demanded the end of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule. Sanctions are now formally being considered by the bloc’s diplomatic service.
But the EU is still facing questions over what urgent action it will take beyond expressions of sympathy, in the face of an escalating crisis.
“Those braving the streets, those political prisoners still detained, need more than just solidarity,” Metsola said. “I have taken the decision to ban all diplomats, staff of diplomatic missions, government officials and representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from entering any premises of the European Parliament.”
One idea that has won support in the past is to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and “to further extend EU sanctions to cover all those individuals engaging in repression, violence, and executions,” Metsola wrote to her colleagues.
“As protests on the streets of Iran continue unabated, so does the crackdown of the regime, with communications being blocked, reports of violence, killings, and arbitrary detentions,” she said. “I know many of you see the courageous people of Iran standing up. We hear them demanding their dignity, and liberty.”
This story has been updated.