![\"Iran-Protests-Statement-NCRI\"](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Iran-Protests-Statement-NCRI.jpg\" "\\"Iran-Protests-Statement-NCRI\\"")
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On Thursday, the Canadian government imposed new sanctions<\/a> on 17 individuals and three other entities believed to be directly involved in the attempted suppression of protests which have been going on for the past month, since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini fell into a coma and died after being assaulted by \u201cmorality police.\u201d<\/p>\n Those measures came one day after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered a speech to ambassadors from across the European Union in which she declared that \u201cthe shocking violence inflicted on the Iranian people cannot stay unanswered.\u201d Later on Wednesday, the ambassadors in that meeting indicated that they had agreed to impose new human rights-related sanctions on at least 15 Iranian individuals and groups, though formal adoption of those measures is not expected until Monday, October 17 when EU Foreign Ministers meet in Luxembourg.<\/p>\n Officials from Germany and other EU member states have been pushing for those measures in recent days, in reaction to reports of escalating repression inside Iran as well as unilateral pressures being adopted by Britain and the United States. The former imposed sanctions on Iran\u2019s morality police, its lead official, and the head of its Tehran division last week following similarly targeted sanctions by the US. Separately, Britain sanctioned a number of figures who had played a role in crackdowns on a prior uprising in November 2019, which killed upwards of 1,500 Iranian citizens<\/a>.<\/p>\n Some have questioned the practical value of this ongoing accumulation of financial penalties since there is little reason to believe that any of their targets have assets or business dealings in Western nations which might provide opportunities for enforcement.<\/p>\n However, the outpouring of sanctions from multiple Western governments may yet signify a broader change in policy and one that could lead to the adoption of more effective strategies over time. This possibility was underscored on Thursday by a press briefing<\/a> from US State Department spokesperson Ned Price in which he declared that an agreement to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was no longer the focus of White House policy.<\/p>\n Several commentaries had emerged in advance of that briefing which criticized the US and its allies for sending mixed messages by pursuing negotiations with the Iranian regime at the same time they were condemning Amini\u2019s killing and the ensuing crackdowns on dissent which, according to the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization<\/a> of Iran (PMOI\/MEK), have now killed more than 400 people. Even the administration of Ebrahim Raisi seemed to taunt the US over this discrepancy on Tuesday, with Deputy Chief of Staff for Political Affairs Mohammad Jamshidi claiming that the US had made \u201cthirty-odd\u201d requests for direct talks with the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n In meeting with Rep. Randy Weber I emphasized on the importance of recognizing the Iranian people\u2019s right to self-defense in their fight to overthrow the ruling theocracy & establish freedom & human rights — Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) October 2, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
The Congressman reiterated that we need to be behind the citizens of Iran pic.twitter.com\/LnkexXltHR<\/a><\/p>\n