In his tweet, Hoekstra refers to the deaths of two protesters earlier in the day. Two men, aged 20 and 22, were hanged because, according to the authorities, they were involved in the murder of a soldier.
New sanctions
The Dutch government also summoned the Iranian ambassador last month after protesters were executed. Hoekstra underlines that new sanctions are being prepared against the Iranian regime in a European context. “Today’s actions require an even stronger response from the EU,” the minister said.
On Friday, a number of parliamentary parties from both the coalition and opposition called on the Dutch government to lead the way in Europe in taking measures against the Iranian regime. Hoekstra agrees with those faction leaders, he said in a written response. As far as he is concerned, the Netherlands and other countries will effectively “maintain high pressure on Iran.”
In response to the executions, several dozen protesters went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague on Saturday. Among other things, they shouted “Stop the executions in Iran”.