The European Union has announced today sanctions on 15 Iranian officials, including top commanders and officials of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, over Tehran’s deadly crackdown on nationwide protests driven by economic hardship and mounting public anger over governance. The sanctions also included measures against six Iranian organisations. The decision by the 27-nation bloc marks the latest Western response over the violence, which has killed over 6 thousand 3 hundred people. It also comes as a US aircraft carrier group is in the Mideast after President Donald Trump threatened military force against Iran. The EU’s measures follow other sanctions against Iran by multiple countries.