The UK is considering new sanctions against Iran after its lethal crackdown on protests sparked by the "killing" of Mahsa Amini, the foreign secretary said on Tuesday.
Amini, 22, was pronounced dead on September 16 after being arrested by Iran's notorious "morality police", who said she had breached rules requiring women to wear hijabs and modest clothes.
Her death sparked the biggest wave of protests to rock Iran in almost three years and a crackdown in which scores of protesters have been killed and hundreds arrested.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly summoned the Iranian Charge d’Affaires to the Foreign Office to account for the actions of the Iranian government.
Speaking to the Today programme on Radio 4 on Wednesday, he said the UK was considering imposing new sanctions against the country.
"Of course we will look at that," he said. "We already have a very tough set of sanctions packages against Iran. The things Iranian women are doing are incredibly impressive, incredibly brave.
"Of course we are looking at the response of the Iranian regime to the actions of their people. We have taken a long-standing principled stance about the behaviour of governments to their peoples. And we are looking very closely at what’s happening in Iran."
Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador in Tehran on Tuesday in reaction to "interventionist comments" from Britain, the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported.
Its director general of Western Europe said London's remarks on Iran's internal affairs were "based on fake and provocative interpretations".
"The British side, by issuing unilateral statements, shows that it has a role in the belligerent scenarios of terrorists active against the Islamic republic," he said. The Iranian official said Tehran would consider potential options in response to any unusual actions from Britain.
At least 63 people were killed last week when Iranian security forces “bloodily suppressed” a protest in Zahedan, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) group said.
It said the protest in the city in south-eastern Iran began after claims a police chief in the port city of Chabahar, in Sistan and Baluchestan province, had raped a 15-year-old girl.
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc was considering "all the options at our disposal, including restrictive measures, to address the killing of Mahsa Amini and the way Iranian security forces have been responding to the demonstrations".
Mr Borrell described the regime's repression of the protests as "disproportionate" and "unjustifiable", resulting in "tens or dozens of lives lost".
He offered condolences to the Iranian people over the death of Amini and voiced his admiration for the demonstrations against her killing.
"We have seen a wave of indignation and outrage turning into a nationwide protest in Iran," with demonstrators demanding "respect, justice and equality — nothing more", he said.
Mr Borrell said there had been no sign of a "credible investigation" into Amini's death and no accountability from the regime, which has shut down much of the internet access in the country.
US President Joe Biden said his administration would impose "further costs" this week on "perpetrators of violence against peaceful protesters" in Iran.
Rights groups voiced deep concern after Iranian riot police used teargas and paintball guns on hundreds of students at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran on Sunday night.
Video footage showed those arrested being taken away with fabric hoods over their heads.
Mahsa Amini protests around the world - in pictures
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Demonstrators chant slogans during the March of Solidarity for Iran in Washington. AFP -
Another group of demonstrators at the march. AFP -
A protest in support of Iranian women in Barcelona. Reuters -
Iranian citizens and locals joined in the Barcelona protest. Reuters -
People attend a demonstration in solidarity with Mahsa Amini and other Iranian women in Castello Square, Turin. EPA -
A person places a candle during the demonstration in Turin. EPA -
A protester holds a pre-Islamic Revolution Iranian flag during a demonstration in Brussels in support of the Iranians fighting for their freedom. AFP -
A protester wearing a top with a logo that reads 'No to an Islamic state" as she takes part in a rally in support of the Iranian people, in Brussels. AFP -
People wave the Shah-era Iranian flag during a protest in Paris. AFP -
A woman shows her true colours in the protest against the Iranian government, in Paris. AFP -
A woman holds a flag, as people protest against the Iranian regime outside Iran's embassy in central London. Reuters -
Supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) carry placards and wave party flags in Beirut, during a protest against the death of Ms Amini. EPA -
People demonstrate against the Iranian government outside the Houses of Parliament in London following the death of Amini. Reuters -
A mural in Paris depicts women cutting their hair to show support for Iranian protesters. AP -
People take part in a rally against the Iranian government in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday. AP -
Protesters take to the streets of Tehran. EPA -
Iranian protesters run after clashing with with police. EPA -
A protester shaves their head outside the Houses of Parliament in London. Reuters -
Iranians living in Athens hold a protest in solidarity. AFP -
People take part in a rally in The Hague. AFP -
A woman cuts her hair during a demonstration in Santiago, Chile, by feminist groups and Iranian migrants in support of Iranian women following the death of Amini. AFP -
Members of feminist groups and Iranian migrants during the protests in Santiago. AFP -
Iranian activists shout slogans during a protest against the government in Tehran, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. EPA -
A protester holds a painted portrait of Mahsa Amini in Berlin, Germany. EPA -
A protester shows red paint on her face, resembling blood splatters and bloody handprints next to the national Iranian emblem, during a rally in Berlin. EPA -
Iranian protesters shout slogan during a protest in Istanbul, Turkey. EPA -
A woman holds a sign during a protest against the Iranian government, in front of the country's embassy in Madrid, Spain. The protests were triggered by the death of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody. Reuters -
A woman cuts her hair during the protest in front of the Iranian embassy in Madrid. Reuters -
Israelis show their support for women in Iran as they hold up placards of Amini during a protest in Jerusalem. EPA -
Amini, 22, was arrested in Tehran on September 13, 2022, by the morality police. She fell into a coma while in police custody and was declared dead on September 16. EPA -
People walk by graffiti in support of the protests triggered by Amini's death, in Jerusalem. EPA -
A protest in Nantes, western France, after the death of Amini in Iranian police custody. AFP -
Women gather for a demonstration in Barcelona, Spain. AFP -
Demonstrators in Nantes. Amini's death has sparked a global protest movement. AFP -
Women protest outside the town hall in in Montpellier, southern France. AFP -
A woman at a protest in Catalunya Square, Barcelona. Reuters -
Campaigners and football fans protest at a Champions League match between Porto and Bayer Leverkusen at the Dragao stadium in Portugal. EPA -
People hold placards during a demonstration in solidarity with the Iranian people near the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. EPA -
An Iranian woman living in Turkey with 'Freedom' written on her forehead takes part in a protest near the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. Reuters -
In Barcelona, protesters take part in a demonstration in support of Iranian women. AFP -
A Lebanese activist takes part in a protest in Beirut, triggered by the death of Amini, 22. AP -
A Turkish protester takes off her head scarf while giving a performance in Instanbul during a protest against Iran over Amini's death. Getty -
A woman in Istanbul cuts her hair during a protest against Iran. Getty -
A Lebanese activist holds a poster depicting Amini during a protest in Beirut organised by feminist groups in support of women protesters in Iran. EPA -
Demonstrators in Los Angeles, California, hold the Iranian flag during a protest against the government in Tehran. AFP -
Demonstrators hold placards in Mexico City during a protest against Iran. Reuters -
People demonstrate in Montreal, Canada, during a protest triggered by Amini's death. AFP -
Iranian Americans participate in a rally in central Los Angeles, in solidarity with women in Iran. AP -
Demonstrators march during a protest in Los Angeles, California. AFP -
A woman with the colours of the Iranian flag painted on her face participates in a rally as thousands demonstrate in support of Iranian women in Los Angeles. EPA -
Australians protest over Amini's death in Melbourne. EPA -
Police block protesters from entering Iran's embassy in Oslo, Norway. EPA -
Demonstrators in front of the European headquarters of the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, during a rally against Iran. EPA -
A candlelight vigil for Amini in Los Angeles. AFP -
Afghan women hold placards as they take part in a protest in front of the Iranian embassy in Kabul. AFP -
Protestors take part in a rally outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. AFP -
An Iranian woman shows a lock of hair she cut off during a protest outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. EPA -
Demonstrators outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. Getty -
Iranian Americans rally on Capitol Hill in Washington to show support for protesters in Iran. AFP -
Protesters on Capitol Hill hold a sign condemning the crackdown by Tehran. AFP -
German demonstrators gather in Berlin after the death of Amini in Iranian police custody. AP -
A protester cries during a rally in Berlin. Reuters -
A demonstration in Madrid, Spain. Thousands have gathered in cities across Europe to support protests in Iran. AP -
Demonstrators gather outside the Iranian embassy in Madrid. Reuters -
People take part in a protest in Lausanne, Switzerland. EPA -
Protesters hold signs featuring images of Amini during the protest in the western Swiss city. EPA -
Demonstrators in front of the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. EPA -
An activist outside the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a sign that reads 'Justice for Mahsa Amini'. AFP -
A demonstration against violence in Iran is held in Quito, Ecuador. The Iranian community in Ecuador protested outside the Iranian embassy. EPA -
Protesters at a demonstration outside the Iranian embassy in Quito, Ecuador. EPA
Protests also spread to schools, with footage shared by Kurdish rights group Hengaw showing schoolgirls demonstrating in two cities in Amini's native Kurdistan province.
"Women, life, freedom," the young female protesters chanted as they marched down the central strip of a motorway in Marivan, in footage that AFP has not independently verified.
Mr Biden gave no indication of what measures he was considering against Iran, which is already under US economic sanctions largely related to its controversial nuclear programme.
Iran accused the US leader of "hypocrisy" in invoking human rights to impose new punitive measures.
"It would have been better for Mr Joe Biden to think a little about the human rights record of his own country before making humanitarian gestures, although hypocrisy does not need to be thought through," Iranian media reported Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani as saying.
Iran protests - in pictures
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A protest for Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's 'morality police', in Tehran. AFP -
Demonstrators disperse during the protest for Amini, who died in a hospital in the capital Tehran on Friday. AFP -
The crowd chanted 'Death to the dictator', meaning Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while some women took off their headscarves. AFP -
A man pulls out a police motorcycle set on fire during the protest. Amini had been detained for violating the country's conservative dress code. AP -
In recent months, rights activists have urged women to remove their veils in public, a gesture that would risk their arrest for defying a dress code as the country's rulers crack down on 'immoral behaviour'. AP -
Iranians protest in Sanandaj, the capital of Iran's Kurdistan province, following the Amini's death while in custody. AFP -
Iranian police officers clash with demonstrators in Tehran. Police said Amini fell into a coma as she waited with other detained women at a morality police station, rejecting allegations that she was probably beaten. AFP
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused arch foes the US and Israel of fomenting the protests.
The riots "were engineered by America and the occupying, false Zionist regime, as well as their paid agents, with the help of some traitorous Iranians abroad", Mr Khamenei said.
The unrest has overshadowed diplomatic efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers, which had come close to a breakthrough in recent months before stalling again.
But White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stressed the "problems with Iran's behaviour" are separate from efforts to revive the nuclear deal, which Washington will pursue "as long as we believe" it is in US national security interests.
In his first public comments on Amini's death, Mr Khamenei, 83, said on Monday that Iranian police must "stand up to criminals".
"Some people, without proof or an investigation, have made the streets dangerous, burnt the Quran, removed hijabs from veiled women and set fire to mosques and cars," he said.
He said "this is not about hijab in Iran", and that "many Iranian women who don't observe the hijab perfectly are among the steadfast supporters of the Islamic republic".
Iran's President Raisi condemns 'chaos' of protests after Mahsa Amini's death - video
On Tuesday, an official said singer Shervin Hajipour — who was arrested after his song Baraye (For), with lyrics taken from social media posts about the reasons people were protesting, went viral — was released on bail.
Another 400 people arrested in the purge were released on Tuesday "on condition of not repeating their actions", Tehran prosecutor Ali Salehi said, quoted by state news agency IRNA.
Iran has repeatedly accused outside forces of stoking the protests and last week said nine foreign citizens — including from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland — had been arrested.
Mahsa Amini's death sparks protests around the world - video
At least 92 protesters have been killed so far in the Amini rallies, said Iran Human Rights, which has been assessing the death toll despite internet cuts and blocks on WhatsApp, Instagram and other online services.
Amnesty International said earlier it had confirmed 53 deaths, after Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said last week that "around 60" had died.
At least 12 members of the security forces have been reported killed since September 16.
