Portugal Confronts Iranian Envoy Over Protest Crackdown, Backs EU Sanctions

Portugal’s foreign ministry has ratcheted up diplomatic pressure on Tehran, summoning Iran’s envoy in Lisbon to protest the latest security crackdown back home. The move aligns Portugal with a growing front of European capitals threatening tougher sanctions if the violence persists.

What matters now

• Summoned ambassador received verbal condemnation on 13 January

• Lisbon backs EU-wide sanctions discussions already under way in Brussels

• Death toll in Iran’s protests estimated at 600+, thousands detained

• Two Portuguese nationals have sought help to leave the country

• Action could chill the modest but strategic Portugal-Iran trade corridor

Lisbon draws its line

Foreign minister Paulo Rangel called in Ambassador Morteza Damanpak Jami and delivered what officials described as a “vehement protest” over the “violent repression” of demonstrations that erupted across Iran on 28 December. The ministry statement, while concise, urged Tehran to “respect the rights of its citizens” and hinted Portugal would not hesitate to support additional punitive measures.

Diplomats underline that a summons—rarely used in Portugal’s traditionally low-profile diplomacy—signals a clear break with business-as-usual. “When you haul in an ambassador, you want headlines in their capital,” a senior official at Palácio das Necessidades told this newspaper, speaking on background.

European chorus grows louder

Portugal’s démarche follows similar gestures from Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Ireland. Brussels is already drafting a fresh package that could target the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, extend asset freezes and impose travel bans on senior security figures.

EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas and Commission president Ursula von der Leyen condemned “lethal force against peaceful protesters” and pledged faster decision-making on sanctions. António Costa, now presiding over the European Council, publicly sided with the “courageous Iranian people,” an unusually blunt comment from the former Portuguese prime minister.

Business ties on ice

Commercial links between Portugal and Iran remain modest—worth well under €100 million annually—but several Lisbon start-ups eyeing Iran’s consumer market now face steeper hurdles. Multilateral sanctions already complicate banking channels; additional EU restrictions could deter the handful of Portuguese exporters dealing in medical equipment, agrifood and renewable-energy components.

Long-time Middle East analyst Ana Santos Pinto notes that bilateral relations have been on a “slow simmer” since Portugal temporarily closed its Tehran embassy in 2025 over security concerns. “Even if trade volumes are small, the symbolic cost of disengaging is real,” she says. “Portugal was among the first Western countries to establish ties with Persia in the 1500s.”

Safety of nationals

At least two Portuguese citizens working in southern Iran have contacted consular services seeking evacuation, according to diplomatic sources. The foreign ministry is assessing routes via Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, mindful that sporadic internet shutdowns complicate coordination. No injuries involving Portuguese nationals have been reported so far.

Limited reaction at home—for now

Portugal’s Iranian diaspora is relatively small—under 1,000 residents—but activists here welcomed Lisbon’s stance. “We need every European voice to keep spotlighting human-rights abuses,” said Reza Kazemi, a researcher at the University of Coimbra. Domestic NGOs, including Amnistia Internacional Portugal, urged the government to support an independent UN inquiry and grant asylum to protesters fleeing prosecution.

What happens next

EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels next week; sanctions likely top the agenda.

Lisbon will weigh whether to re-staff its embassy in Tehran or keep operations remote.

Companies with exposure to Iran will monitor SWIFT restrictions and possible energy-sector blacklists.

Civil-society groups plan vigils in Porto and Lisbon on 21 January, hoping to maintain public pressure.

Portugal’s swift action may have little immediate impact on Tehran’s calculus, but it positions Lisbon squarely within a European consensus that the cost of repression must rise. As protests in Iran enter a third week, the window for dialogue narrows—leaving sanctions, and diplomatic isolation, as Europe’s primary levers.