The European Union has extended its sanctions against 82 Iranians whom it accuses of human rights violations. The 28-nation bloc took the measure on Monday, with the Council of the European Union notifying that the sanctions will be running through April 13, 2017, Press TV reported. The measure came despite a July 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and major powers, under which the West is obliged to lift its sanctions on the Islamic Republic. The US and the EU contend that the agreement only includes sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear program, and not those linked to missile and human rights accusations. The EU first imposed the sanctions, which include asset freezes and travel bans, in 2011 and has been extending them every year ever since. The Monday move came after UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran Ahmed Shaheed presented a report on the Islamic Republic last month, accusing Tehran of rights violations. Iran slammed the report as having been compiled “based on the viewpoints of a few countries and with the aim of targeting other countries through exploiting international human rights mechanisms”.
