EU Set to Censure Iran for Human Rights Abuses

The European Union on Wednesday will place sanctions on a handful of Iranian officials for human rights abuses, the first such move the supranational body will take in nearly eight years, European diplomats told Reuters. According to the report, EU envoys will impose travel bans and freeze the assets of several individuals who will be named next week, when the sanctions take effect. The decision will add new faces to the list of over 80 Iranian officials already placed under restrictions by the Europeans for nearly a decade. “Those responsible for serious rights violations must know there are consequences,” an EU representative said Wednesday. According to the sources, the decision to renew sanctions for the first time since 2013 has nothing to do with the recent Western efforts to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table and re-enter the abandoned 2015 nuclear deal. Earlier this week, Iran rejected a reported proposal by Washington to return to compliance with the pact in return for some sanctions relief.