Germany condemns “in the strongest terms” a violent crackdown by Iranian security forces against protesters and the state repression of journalists there, a German government spokesperson said on Monday.
Germany welcomed further sanctions by the European Union against Iran, and Berlin is looking at further measures, the spokesperson added, without giving a timeline for them.
Protests in Iran entered a more violent phase on Sunday as students, who defied an ultimatum by the Revolutionary Guards and a warning from the president, were met with tear gas and gunfire from security forces, social media videos showed.
The confrontations at dozens of universities prompted the threat of a tougher crackdown in a seventh week of demonstrations sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested by the morality police for attire deemed inappropriate.
Iranians from all walks of life have taken to the streets since Amini's death in protests that the clerical rulers said were endangering the country's security.
Authorities have accused the United States and Israel and their local agents of being behind the unrest to destabilize the country.
Videos from universities in some other cities also showed Basij forces opening fire at students, Reuters reported.
Across the country, security forces tried to block students inside university buildings, firing tear gas and beating protesters with sticks.
In a further apparent effort to defuse the situation, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said people were right to call for reform and their demands would be met if they distanced themselves from the "criminals" taking to the streets.
"We consider the protests to be not only correct and the cause of progress, but we also believe that these social movements will change policies and decisions, provided that they are separated from violent people, criminals and separatists," he said, using terms officials typically use for the protesters.
