According to Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, the EU will impose sanctions on the Iranian moral police. The aim is to hold those responsible for brutal crimes against women, young people and men accountable, said the Green politician on Monday at the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

Those affected should no longer be allowed to enter the EU. Assets can also be frozen.

The background to the EU's action is the recent suppression of protests in Iran. Security forces had recently taken brutal action against people who were demonstrating nationwide against the government's repressive course, the headscarf requirement and the system of government.

The protests were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The young woman died on September 16 under unclear circumstances after being arrested by the vice squad because of her alleged "un-Islamic outfit". Critics accuse the morality police of using violence. The police firmly deny the allegations.

Baerbock said on Monday that in Iran, women who wanted to leave the house without a headscarf or wanted to sing and dance together in the evening were beaten up and in some cases killed. It's about crimes against young people, children and women "who want nothing more than to live in peace and freedom".