The Netherlands to propose new sanctions package against Iran

EU ambassadors will examine a Dutch proposal for a fresh package of sanctions against Iran following the country’s crackdown on protesters, two diplomats told Euronews.

The proposed sanctions would fall under the EU’s human rights sanctions regime against Iran and would come on top of a wide range of travel bans and asset freezes that are already in place.

“They will include the freezing of assets for new individuals,” one of the diplomats said, adding that the issue would be discussed as early as later today, when the 27 ambassadors from the Political and Security Committee meet in Brussels.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has already signalled that the bloc is prepared to push for fresh sanctions on Iran following a crackdown that has reportedly claimed hundreds of lives since protests began nearly two weeks ago.

The death toll from the protests continues to rise. On Monday, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said that at least 648 protesters have been killed by Iranian security forces.

The adoption of new EU sanctions would represent a concrete follow-up to the wave of criticism directed at the Iranian regime by Western leaders.

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced what he called the “state violence” directed at Iranian protesters, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iran’s use of “disproportionate and brutal violence” was “a sign of weakness”.

The new measures would add to an extensive sanctions regime already imposed on Iran, primarily involving travel bans and asset freezes in response to serious human rights violations, nuclear proliferation activities, and military support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

The EU has sanctioned more than 230 Iranians, including the country’s interior minister, Ahmad Vahidi, members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and more than 40 other entities.

However, the EU’s approach to the current crisis stands in sharp contrast to US military threats.

US President Donald Trump recently said he would be “hitting them very hard” if Iranian leaders kill protesters. Although no decision has reportedly been made, US media reports say the American president is being briefed on new options for military strikes in the country.