EU sanctions more individuals, telecom firm over rights violations in Iran

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 1, 2023.REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) -The European Union imposed sanctions on Monday on eight Iranians and a mobile telecommunications provider in its latest effort to target individuals and organisations it holds responsible for human rights abuses in Iran.

The Council of the EU, which brings together the bloc's member countries, said it was sanctioning Ariantel, a company that "contributed to the telecommunications surveillance architecture mapped out by the Iranian government to quash dissent and critical voices in Iran".