European Parliament Influenced by Anti-Iran Groups 

The European parliament’s decision to cut ties with Tehran has been made under the influence of anti-Iran groups, a lawmaker said. 
“Falling under the influence of opposing groups leads the European Parliament toward wrong analyses based on wrong data,” ISNA quoted Abolfazl Amoui, spokesman for the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, as saying. 
He added that there is no room for interaction with those who make decisions based on fake information. 
Amoui also described the move as an empty threat since the parliament’s instructions are not effectual in determining European countries’ foreign policy. 
He said the decision is no more than psychological projection, as there has not been any direct contact between the Iranian Majlis and the European Parliament over the past two years. 
The EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in a statement on Monday that “In response to the unacceptable Iranian sanctioning of this house, there shall be no direct contact between European Parliament delegations and committees with official Iranian counterparts until further notice.”
She was referring to Iran’s tit-for-tat sanctions against institutions and individuals in the European Union due to their deliberate actions in support of terrorism and terrorist groups. 
In October, the EU foreign ministers decided to levy sanctions against 11 Iranian individuals and four entities over alleged crackdown on protesters. 
Iranian cities have seen unrest since the death of a young girl in police custody in September, which later developed into violent clashes between rioters and security forces. 
Tehran blames the west for abusing the situation to provoke violence and orchestrate terrorist activities in Iran. 
The European parliament’s statement further voiced support for those that they called peaceful protestors, saying, “We will not look away from those who look to us on the streets of Iran.”