European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is preparing to push for new sanctions on Iran following a security crackdown that has “reportedly claimed hundreds of lives” since protests began nearly two weeks ago, Euronews reported Monday. 

Kallas and the EU’s diplomatic arm, the European External Action Service (EEAS), “stand ready to propose new sanctions,” an EU spokesperson told Euronews, as the bloc weighs additional measures on top of sanctions already in place against Tehran. 

The sanctions push comes amid rising casualties following demonstrations that erupted in late December over the collapse of Iran’s rial. U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency estimated more than 10,600 people had been detained during two weeks of protests, with reported fatalities including 48 security personnel and 496 demonstrators, according to the report. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Brussels was “monitoring” developments, echoing European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who urged Europe to recognize “its duty and the need to act,” Euronews reported. 

Any fresh measures would build on an extensive EU sanctions framework that already targets Iran over human rights violations, nuclear activities, and support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. The bloc has blacklisted more than 230 Iranians, including Iran’s interior minister Ahmad Vahidi, members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and over 40 entities. 

Read more at Euronews