EU Tightening Room for Engagement by Sanctions

Europe is tightening its own room for engagement by adopting the “wrong approach” of continuously targeting Iran with sanctions, a senior diplomat said. 
“Apparently, addiction to sanctions has taken away rationality and considered behavior from European countries,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in response to Europe’s introduction of new sanctions on Iran on Monday, ISNA reported.
Kanaani strongly condemned the European countries’ “groundless, illegal and meddlesome” measure and rejected them as invalid, stressing that “Iran reserves the right to respond.”
“Relying on its national power and using its unique experiences in actively facing imposed challenges, the Islamic Republic will, as before, show effective reciprocal action to these futile and unconstructive measures with wisdom and strength and on the basis of national honor and interests,” he said. 
The European Union on Monday slapped additional sanctions on Iran, targeting 29 individuals and three organizations, in response to what they referred to as Tehran’s widespread use of force against protesters.
“We stand with the Iranian people and support their right to protest peacefully and voice their demands and views freely,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, however, claimed that the sanctions are meant “to send a clear message to those who think they can suppress … their own people without consequences.”
In what appeared to be a coordinated move, Britain also said that 24 Iranian officials, including a government minister, would face similar restrictions in the UK for their role in the alleged crackdown.
“These sanctions target officials within the Iranian [government] who are responsible for … human rights violations,” UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly claimed.
He added that the bans were a clear message from the UK and its partners to the Islamic Republic that the so-called “violent crackdown on protests must stop and freedom of expression must be respected.”
The moves will see asset freezes and travel bans imposed on the individuals and organizations.
Canada also announced on Monday that senior members of the Iranian government and military are now inadmissible to this country.
“Canada will continue to work in lockstep with our partners, including the US, UK and Europe and use all diplomatic tools at our disposal to respond to [the Iranian government’s alleged] aggressions, whether in Iran or abroad,” the Canadian government said in a press release. 
Iranian cities have seen unrest since late September, following the death of a young girl in police custody, which later developed into violent clashes between rioters and security forces. 
Tehran blames the West for abusing the situation to provoke violence in line with their political agenda. 

Previous Measures 

In a first round of sanctions in October, the EU imposed travel bans and asset freezes on 15 Iranian individuals and institutions that they claimed were linked to the young girl’s death and the clampdown on protests.
The UK also sanctioned the Iranian morality police and its top officials in October on the same grounds. 
Similarly, the United States imposed sanctions on the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps officials, as well as provincial and Iranian prison officials and people and entities purportedly tied to internet control.
Iran condemned the moves, saying the sanctions constituted a clear example of interference in Iran’s domestic affairs.
Tehran later announced tit-for-tat sanctions against institutions and individuals in the EU due to their “deliberate actions in support of terrorism and terrorist groups, encouraging and inciting terrorism, violence, and hatred, which has caused riots, violence, terrorist acts, and human rights violations against the people of Iran.”