EUAA Country Guidance: Iran (Year Month Edition)

Key Chapter Title List

1. Introduction
2. Guidance Note
3. Common Analysis
4. Actors of Persecution or Serious Harm
5. Refugee Status
6. Subsidiary Protection
7. Protection Actors
8. Internal Protection Alternative
9. Exclusion Clauses
10. Abbreviations and Glossary
11. Country of Origin Information References

Document Introduction

This report is a joint assessment of the situation in Iran, a main country of origin, developed by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) together with a network of senior policy officials from EU Member States, Norway, and Switzerland, based on current EU law and the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union. Its core objective is to provide Member State decision-makers and policymakers with a systematic and consistent assessment framework to assist them in their daily work of examining applications for international protection and to promote convergence in the type of protection granted within the EU Common Asylum System. In accordance with Article 11(3) of the EUAA Regulation, Member States are obliged to consider this Common Analysis and Guidance Note when examining applications for international protection, without prejudice to their competence to decide on individual applications.

The report has a clear structure, consisting of two core parts. The first part is the "Guidance Note," which outlines the key conclusions of the Common Analysis in a concise, user-friendly format for quick grasp of core judgments. The second part is the more detailed "Common Analysis," which provides an in-depth framework for specific risk analysis based on the assessment of available country of origin information, combined with applicable law, relevant jurisprudence, and common guiding principles. The report's analytical basis covers country of origin information from 1 January 2023 to 17 October 2024, and emphasizes that its validity depends on whether current developments in the country continue the trends and patterns on which the assessment is based.

This Country Guidance focuses on groups of Iranian applicants most frequently encountered in the caseloads of EU+ countries, aiming to analyze their international protection needs. The report covers the following main aspects: individuals critical of the Iranian authorities; deserters from the military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and those inciting desertion; individuals perceived as apostates, blasphemers, converts, and atheists; individuals perceived as violating Islamic norms or laws; ethnic and religious minorities; women and girls; and persons with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics. Furthermore, the report analyzes the possibility for Iranian applicants to obtain subsidiary protection under Article 15 of the Qualification Directive/Regulation and assesses the feasibility of obtaining an internal protection alternative (particularly in Tehran).

The report provides an in-depth analysis of actors of persecution in Iran, clearly stating that the Iranian authorities are the primary persecutors, with their armed forces, intelligence agencies, and judicial system forming a systemic network of surveillance, suppression, and punishment. Simultaneously, non-state actors such as the general public, communities, and family members may also constitute sources of persecution. In the refugee status assessment section, the report provides detailed guidance for the aforementioned applicant groups through an analytical framework of risk levels and nexus grounds (such as political opinion, religion, membership of a particular social group, etc.). For applicants who do not qualify for refugee status, the report systematically assesses their possibility of obtaining subsidiary protection under Article 15 of the Qualification Directive/Regulation, including risks of death penalty, torture, or inhuman treatment. The report also conducts rigorous analysis on the effectiveness of state protection in Iran, the reasonableness of internal protection alternatives, and potential exclusion clauses (such as those related to international crimes, serious crimes, etc.), providing decision-makers with a comprehensive assessment tool.