EU to impose sanctions on Iran as Khamenei blames ‘enemies’ for protests
The European Union has decided to impose sanctions on Iran following the government’s brutal crackdown on the citizens protesting over the death of 22-year-old Mehsa Amini. According to AFP, the sanctions will be made official during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxemburg next week.
The United States, United Kingdom, and Canada have already imposed sanctions on the morality police of Iran for their role in the death of Amini. Canada went even further by announcing that they will not be given entry to around 10,000 members of the Iranian regime including the military.
The 22-year-old was detained for flouting hijab laws while travelling to Tehran and she was later found dead with a post-mortem report showing head injuries. In the aftermath of her death, protests erupted all around Iran with women burning their hijabs and even cutting off their hair on some occasions.
The security forces have been active in quashing protests in several places and according to the judiciary, more than 100 people were charged in two provinces over the protests. The judiciary’s Mizan Online news website said that the highest number of arrests came from Tehran and Hormozgan.
Given that the rioters played a central role in the organization of illegal gatherings, arson, and attacks on public and private property, and sowed terror among the population, the prosecutor has carried out swift investigations in these cases,” Hormozgan chief justice Mojtaba Ghahremani told Mizan Online.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed foreign forces for causing tensions in Iran.
“The actions of the enemy, such as propaganda, trying to influence minds, creating excitement, encouraging and even teaching the manufacture of incendiary devices are now completely clear.”
