For decades, Ayatollah Khamenei ruled through repression, violence and fear, crushing basic civil rights, European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen said today in a speech to the European Parliament, BTA reported.
Von der Leyen recalled that earlier this year hundreds of thousands of young Iranians took to the streets to "demand a better future" but were met with "brutal repression", with over "17,000 young men and women killed" because of the regime's attempts to hold on to power.
"The crimes of the Iranian regime have continued for decades through torture and arrests against its own people and the spread of terrorism in the Middle East and even on European soil," Ursula von der Leyen stressed.
According to her, this regime is providing support for Russia's brutal war against Ukraine. "There should not be a single tear for such a regime," she said.
The EC President also said that many Iranians celebrated Khamenei's fall, hoping that this moment would open the way to a free Iran. "The Iranian people deserve exactly that - freedom and the right to choose their own future."
Von der Leyen stressed that the EU's first task is to protect its citizens and prepare for the impact of the conflict in the Middle East. "The security of Cyprus is the security of the EU".
As for the situation on energy markets affected by the war, Ursula von der Leyen explained that thanks to the measures taken by the EU in recent years, Europe is less dependent on fossil fuel imports. "Diversification efforts are working, but that does not mean that we are immune to price shocks. Energy markets are global", she pointed out.
According to von der Leyen, no matter what measures are taken, as long as the EU continues to import significant amounts of fossil fuels from "fragile regions", Europe will be vulnerable and dependent.
Since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, natural gas prices have increased by 50% and oil prices by 27%. "If you convert this into euros, the ten days of war have already cost European taxpayers an additional €3 billion in fossil fuel imports. This is the price of our dependence," the EC President said.
She criticized opponents of EU-produced green and nuclear energy. "A return to buying fossil fuel energy from Russia would be a strategic mistake," von der Leyen added, saying it would make Europe more dependent, more vulnerable and weaker.