German parliament vice president urges EU to list Iran Guards

A planned news conference by Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan in Islamabad was canceled on Thursday, Afghanistan International reported.

Reza Amiri Moghaddam, Iran’s ambassador, had been due to speak at the National Press Club about the current situation in Iran, the outlet said.

Some journalists said the event may have been called off because of objections from Pakistan’s foreign ministry and what were described as security considerations, although this has not been officially confirmed, according to the report.

China’s foreign minister called for dialogue and restraint in resolving disputes in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart on Thursday, according to a readout from China’s state-run Xinhua news agency.

Wang Yi told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that China opposed the use or threat of force in international relations.

He said Beijing believed the Iranian government and people could overcome difficulties and safeguard national stability.

Wang said China hoped all parties would value peace, exercise restraint and settle differences through dialogue, adding that Beijing was ready to play what he called a constructive role.

Christoph Heusgen, former head of the Munich Security Conference, said on Thursday that the European Union’s failure to list Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization was a sign of weakness.

“That the Revolutionary Guards are still not listed is a sign of weakness by the European Union,” Heusgen told German public radio Deutschlandfunk.

He said the bloc had long treated Iran with caution in the hope that diplomacy, including talks over Tehran’s nuclear program, could lead to change, but said that approach had failed.

“There is no longer any reason to take diplomatic considerations toward the Iranian government into account,” he said.

Heusgen said pressure on Tehran should focus on political and economic isolation rather than military action.

“They need help from outside, they need solidarity, but they do not need a military intervention,” he said.

He also called for targeted sanctions on Iran’s leadership and elites, including travel bans, and said the issue should be raised at the United Nations to increase pressure on countries that continue to do business with Tehran.

Three members of the same family were killed after their car came under fire from Iranian security forces in the city of Karaj, west of Tehran, during protests on Jan. 9, Iran International has learned.

The victims were identified as Bijan Mostafavi, a retired education worker, his wife Zahra Bani Amerian, a retired social security employee, and their 19-year-old son, Danial Mostafavi, a university student, a source close to the family said.

According to information received by Iran International, the family was inside their private vehicle when it was hit by heavy gunfire amid unrest in the area.

The couple’s older son, Davoud Mostafavi, was also in the car at the time, but there was no confirmed information about his condition at the time of publication.

Iran International has previously reported that at least 12,000 protesters were killed in Iran, mostly over two nights on Jan. 8 and 9.

Turkey does not condone the possibility of the use of violence against Iran, its foreign minister said on Thursday.

“Turkey does not condone the possibility of the use of violence against Iran,” Hakan Fidan said.

He added that Ankara would continue diplomatic initiatives regarding Iran, saying the priority was to avoid destabilization.

He also pointed to a 25 percent tariff on US imports from any country that trades with Iran, saying “there is no US presidential decision on tariffs targeting countries trading with Iran that we need to realistically consider at this stage.”