EU ready to target senior members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in first wave of sanctions over recent deadly crackdown on mass protests, diplomats say on Tuesday.
The 27-nation bloc is expected to announce the freezing of assets and visa bans on 21 individuals and entities - including high-ranking IRGC members - when EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Thursday, diplomats said, citing Al Arabiya from Reuters (28/1).
Ambassadors from EU member states are scheduled to approve the decision on Wednesday, ahead of its official adoption.
They are also expected to agree to impose sanctions on 10 other individuals and entities for supplying Iran with drones and missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine.
The new sanctions come as calls grow for the European Union to officially designate the IRGC as a "terrorist organization," with Italy providing its support.
Previously, the bloc had sanctioned several hundred Iranian officials and entities - including the IRGC as a whole and senior commanders - for their crackdown on previous protest movements and for Tehran's support of Russia's war in Ukraine.
A US-based human rights group said on Tuesday it had confirmed the deaths of more than 6,000 people in protests in Iran that were suppressed by security forces, adding that it was investigating more than 17,000 other potential deaths, warning a wave of arrests was underway.
It is known that protests broke out in Iran late December, triggered by economic complaints but turned into a mass movement against the government, with massive street demonstrations on January 8 and 9 being the largest in recent years.
Iranian authorities last week said 3,117 people had died, mostly members of the security forces and innocent civilians who authorities say were killed by "rioters."
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