EU imposes new sanctions on Iran

BRUSSELS: The EU on Monday placed 37 more Iranian officials and entities on an asset-freeze and visa-ban blacklist over Tehran´s bloody crackdown on protesters.

The bloc targeted the minister of sports and the command of the Revolutionary Guards in 12 regions of Iran in its fourth round of sanctions over the repression of demonstrators, the EU´s official journal said. Hard-line lawmakers, senior state media officials and the head of the body setting the country´s strict “morality” rules were also added to the list.

The EU has already imposed sanctions on more than 60 Iranian officials, including the “morality police”, Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders and state media. But the 27-nation bloc has so far stopped short of blacklisting the Revolutionary Guards themselves as a terror group despite calls from Germany and the Netherlands to do so. Iran has warned the bloc against taking the move and EU officials are wary that it could kill off stalled attempts to revive the 2015 deal on Tehran´s nuclear programme being mediated by Brussels.