The European Union is considering slapping additional sanctions on Iran, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday, as rights groups say thousands have been arrested and hundreds injured in a crackdown by Iranian security forces.
EU foreign ministers will discuss further sanctions on Iran at their next meeting, Borrell told reporters in Prague.
The nationwide unrest sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of morality police has spiraled into the biggest challenge to Iran's clerical leaders in years, with protesters calling for the downfall of the Islamic Republic founded in 1979.
People from different layers of the society across Iran have joined the protests.
Amini's death and the crackdown have compounded tensions in Iran's already difficult relations with the West, deepening rifts at a time when negotiations to revive Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers have stalled.
Iran has summoned several ambassadors from Western countries it accuses of meddling or playing a part in the unrest.
