EU chief announces more sanctions on Iran as protest death toll rises

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday said the European Union is working on new punitive measures for Tehran as the death toll from a crackdown on anti-government protests rises.

“The rising number of casualties in Iran is horrifying,” von der Leyen wrote on social media.

“I unequivocally condemn the excessive use of force and continued restriction of freedom,” she said.

The Oslo-based human rights group Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) says at least 648 people have been killed since the protests erupted in December.

IHRNGO said that some estimates put the toll at over 6,000, while more than 10,000 are believed to have been arrested.

Von der Leyen said that “further sanctions on those responsible for the repression will be swiftly proposed.”

“We stand with the people of Iran who are bravely marching for their liberty.”

Iran has been gripped since December 28 by its most serious protest wave for years.

What began as protests by shopkeepers over a sharp fall in the value of the Iranian rial and mounting economic hardship quickly spiralled into nationwide demonstrations against the country’s hardline Islamic rulers.

The violence against protesters has reignited a debate in the EU about the possible classification of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

The government in Berlin said on Monday that Germany was committed to reaching agreement on this issue.

Von der Leyen stressed that the EU had previously imposed sanctions on the IRGC over human rights violations.