Albares summons Iranian ambassador to express his “condemnation” of the repression of protesters

Eduardo González Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares summoned the Iranian ambassador to Spain, Reza Zabib, on Tuesday, January 13, to convey his “strong condemnation and repulsion” of the repression of “peaceful demonstrations” in the country. “We want to express our strong condemnation and repulsion for what has been happening in Iran for days,” Albares declared during an interview on the program 'El matí' on Catalunya Ràdio. More than 500 people have died at the hands of Iranian security forces (the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and police forces) since the outbreak of protests, which began in Tehran on December 28 to demand economic and social improvements and spread throughout the country to demand human rights, dignity, freedom, and the fall of the Islamic Republic regime. “At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we are following the situation closely with great concern, and yesterday we issued an official statement. Today, we will convey to him that the right of Iranian men and women to peaceful protest and their freedom of expression must be respected, and that communications with the outside world, including internet access, must be restored immediately,” Albares continued. “We will remind” the ambassador “that the right to free communication is also a fundamental right of citizens, that the arbitrary detentions that have occurred in recent days must cease, and that Iran must return to the negotiating table and the dialogue,” he announced. During the presentation of Spain's Feminist Cooperation Strategy, approved by the Council of Ministers on December 9th and presented this Tuesday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid, Albares reiterated her call for Iranian authorities to end the violence against protesters and the arbitrary arrests. He also affirmed that "Spain is particularly vigilant regarding women's rights in Iran," because, although "at this very moment," and unlike other recent mobilizations, "both men and women are demonstrating, we are all very aware that it is much more difficult for Iranian women to defend their freedom of expression and their right to demonstrate." The Embassy’s version For its part, the Iranian Embassy in Madrid stated this Tuesday in a press release, transmitted to The Diplomat, that “the Islamic Republic of Iran recognizes the right to protest and freedom of expression” and that the episodes of violence were perpetrated by “terrorist groups” who “unduly exploited the civil protests.” “Following the request dated January 8, 2026, from the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to explain the events, and at the request of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Dr. Reza Zabib met today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the relevant authority,” the statement reads. “After hearing the Spanish perspective, the Ambassador emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran recognizes the right to protest and freedom of expression.” “The statement continued, “The embassy has repeatedly emphasized this right to freedom of expression at the highest levels over the past two weeks.” “It then explained the terrible scale of the violence perpetrated by terrorist groups between January 8 and 10, who took undue advantage of the civil protests, and stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran, while facilitating the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and guaranteeing the security of the population, like any other state, will not permit violence or the destruction of public property.” AI and HRW According to the prestigious human rights organizations Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW), Iranian authorities have unleashed a “bloody crackdown” against protesters characterized by “the unlawful use of force and firearms and mass arbitrary arrests by security forces.” The findings of both organizations reveal that security forces have made unlawful use of rifles, Shotguns loaded with pellets, water cannons, tear gas, and beatings to disperse, intimidate, and punish largely peaceful protesters. This past Monday, the Spanish government condemned, in a statement, “the violence perpetrated against peaceful demonstrators in Iran” and demanded that the country’s authorities “respect and guarantee the exercise of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.” “The Spanish government calls on the Iranian authorities to immediately lift all restrictions on communications and put an end to the arbitrary detentions of peaceful demonstrators,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued. European Union announces sanctions For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday that new sanctions will be introduced “swiftly” against those responsible for the repression of the protests in Iran. In a message on social media, Von der Leyen expressed the European Union's support “for the Iranian people marching for their freedom” and assured that Brussels is closely monitoring the situation in Iran. She also emphasized that “the number of victims in Iran continues to rise” and condemned “the excessive use of force and the restriction of freedom.” “The European Union has already included the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in its entirety under its human rights sanctions regime,” she noted. Meanwhile, the High Representative of the European Union, Kaja Kallas, stated that the EU “already applies broad sanctions against Iran” for human rights violations, nuclear proliferation, and support for Russia, and specified that “the possibility of imposing additional sanctions is being considered.” She also assured that the European Union will continue “supporting civil society” and “sanctioning those who use violence against protesters.”

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