Iran slaps sanctions on EU officials

Iran is imposing sanctions on European Union officials as of Wednesday. This move is being taken because of what the EU is doing in imposing sanctions on the Persian country because of the Tehran crackdown on protesters related to the Mahsa Amin death whilst in police custody.

This is regarded as a tit-for-tat move. Iranian officials say the sanctions being imposed are on EU officials and entities according to Anadolu and says the Foreign Ministry in the Iranian capital has released a list includes EU lawmakers, advocacy groups, and media outlets accused by Tehran of “causing unrest” in the country and "promoting and inciting terrorism and violence and spreading hate".

The list includes the European Parliament's Friends of a Free Iran, the International Committee in Search of Justice in Brussels, the Berlin-based Stop the Bomb NGO, the  Germany Deutsche Welle Persian, RFI Persian network of France, and French International League Against Racism and Antisemitism.

Iran sanctions on EU individuals include President of the International Committee in Search of Justice  Alejo Vidal Quadras, co-chairman of the Friends of a Free Iran, Javier Zarazlejos, Euro MPs Charlie Weimers, Jan Zahradil, and the editor of the German Bild newspaper Johannes Boie.

The sanctions include a ban on visas to these individuals and seizure of their properties and assets in the country concerned which is Iran.

The sanctions are in response to the fact that the EU imposed an embargo on 11 Iranian individuals and entities over what Brussels sees as the "violent response" to demonstrations over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died after being detained by Iran's morality police last month for wearing "inappropriate dress" the Turkish news agency added.

Also EU sanctions are slammed on top Iranian officials of the country's morality police, the minister of information and communications as well as various law enforcement agencies.

"The European Union and its member states condemn the widespread and disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters," the bloc said in a statement at the time, calling it "unjustifiable and unacceptable".

Iran has been rocked by widespread protests after the death of Amini a Tehran police station in on 16 December and ever since the country has been in turmoil with many Western governments condemning the use of force against protesters.

Iranian authorities have accused the West of 'stoking' the protests.