The European Union on Thursday announced sanctions on 15 Iranian officials, including top commanders and officials of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, over Tehran's deadly crackdown on nationwide protests.
Six Iranian organizations, including bodies responsible for monitoring online content in Iran, were also included in the sanctions list.
The decision by the 27-nation bloc marks the latest Western response over the violence, which activists say has killed over 6,300 people.
The measures add to international pressure on the Republic as it faced US threats to potentially launch a military strike against it.
US forces have moved the USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers into the Mideast that can be used to launch attacks from the sea. It remains unclear whether President Donald Trump will use force against Iran, after he threatened military action in response to the killing of peaceful demonstrators and over possible mass executions. At least 6,373 people have been killed in Iran's protests, activists said, The AP news reported.
For its part, Iran has said it could launch a pre-emptive strike or broadly target the Mideast, including American military bases in the region and Israel. Iran issued a warning to ships at sea Thursday that it planned to run a drill next week that would include live firing in the Strait of Hormuz, potentially disrupting traffic through a waterway that sees 20% of all the world's oil pass through it.
The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said earlier Thursday that Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which has played a key role in suppressing the demonstrations, would also be added to the EU's list of terrorist organizations.
“This will put them on the same footing with al-Qaida, Hamas, ISIS,” Kallas said. “If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as a terrorist.”
Iran had no immediate comment, but it has been criticizing Europe in recent days as it considered the move, which follows the US sanctioning the Guard in 2019.
