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3. EU Says Bloc Eyeing Sanctions on Iran

The European Union is “looking into” imposing additional sanctions on Iran over the repression of protests throughout the country, the bloc said. 

“We are ready to propose new and tougher sanctions following the violent repression of demonstrators,” said the Union's foreign affairs spokesman, Anouar El Anouni. 

The European Commission also called on the Iranian authorities to listen to the aspirations of the people and release the detainees who were a part of the recent protests. At the same time, the spokesperson stressed that changing the Iranian regime is not part of its policy.

The proposal marks the strongest response yet from an EU official to Iran’s bloody crackdown. The protests, which kicked off over spiking inflation, now want an end to the clerical rule of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader. Iranian state-linked media have reported the use of live ammunition against demonstrators, leading to what they described as “mass casualties.”