UK Vows Fresh Sanctions, Summons Iranian Envoy Over Crackdown On Protesters

The United Kingdom has vowed to impose fresh sanctions on Iran and has summoned Tehran’s ambassador in London over what it described as a brutal crackdown on protesters across the country, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Tuesday.

Mass rallies have erupted nationwide, with demonstrators demanding an end to Iran’s clerical system that has been in power since 1979.

Activists said the protests have been met with deadly force, leaving at least 648 people killed during a period marked by an internet blackout.

Addressing Members of Parliament, Cooper said the UK would introduce legislation “to implement full and further sanctions and sectoral measures” against Iran.

She noted that Britain has already sanctioned key figures and entities within Iran’s oil, energy, nuclear and financial sectors, but said the new measures would expand to target actors in finance, energy, transport, software and “other significant industries which are advancing Iranian nuclear escalation.”

Cooper added that the UK would coordinate with the European Union and other international partners on any “additional measures” against Tehran.

She said the Iranian ambassador had been summoned “to underline the gravity of this moment and to call Iran to answer for the horrific reports that we are hearing.”

The foreign secretary warned that the true scale of the violence may be worse than current reports suggest, saying she feared they “may underestimate the full scale of the horror” unfolding in Iran.

“The UK will continue to confront the regime’s lies, to call out its repression and to take the steps necessary to protect the UK’s interests,” Cooper said.