Iran to 'reciprocate' new EU sanctions amid continued unrest
EU sanctions over Iran's clampdown on dissent unsettled Iranian authorities, which are grappling with one of the biggest domestic challenges they have faced since the 1979 revolution.
The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanani, condemned sanctions slapped by the Council of the European Union on a number of Iranian entities and officials in response to their involvement in repressive measures against protesters at home.
Kanani dismissed the "unilateral" sanctions as "unconstructive," saying they violated international law, were a case of obvious meddling in Iran's internal affairs and were adopted on certain political purposes and baseless information. According to the Kanani, Tehran will soon prepare its own "sanctions in kind" against the relevant European individuals and entities.
On Oct. 17, the EU announced travel bans and asset freezes on four Iranian organizations, including the "morality police," in whose custody Mahsa Amini, 22, lost her life last month, triggering nationwide anti-government unrest. The EU punitive measures targeted 11 individuals, among them police commanders as "perpetrators of serious human rights violations." Iran's Minister of Information and Communication Technology Issa Zarepour was also placed on the blacklist over the ongoing internet restrictions, which have severely choked the flow of information coming out of the country during the protests.
Iran's condemnation of the new sanctions came as the unrest had already entered a second month, marking the longest period of nonstop daily protests after the 1979 revolution. The government's heavy-handed response has so far claimed 215 lives, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization. The tally includes 27 minors, as the protests have seen new generation Iranians on the very forefront.
