The European Union is preparing to impose sanctions on Iran over Tehran's deadly crackdown on demonstrations that has killed thousands of civilians. EU foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on Thursday to vote on the measures, which include designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, according to the EU's top diplomat Kaya Callas.
"The death toll in the protests in Iran and the methods adopted by the Iranian regime are very, very serious," Karas said before the meeting. "So we are also sending a clear message: There is a price to pay for suppressing people, and you will be sanctioned for it."
Karas said further sanctions would also be imposed on individuals in Iran.
The EU's sanctions require the unanimous consent of all countries, and before the meeting, more and more countries expressed support. An official in French President Emmanuel Macron's office said on Wednesday that the country would support the move.
The latest round of protests in Iran broke out on December 28, initially due to a sudden devaluation of the currency, and then evolved into nationwide protests, becoming the strongest resistance in the history of the Islamic Republic. According to the Human Rights Activists Network in the United States, nearly 6,000 civilians have been killed in subsequent crackdowns.
"Today we will impose European sanctions on those responsible for this repression: members of the government, prosecutors, police chiefs, core members of the Revolutionary Guards and those responsible for blocking the Internet," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrow said in Brussels. "More than 20 entities will have their assets frozen and banned from entering the EU."