EU to slap new sanctions on Iran's officials and firms

The European Union has agreed to appoint beginning sanctions on 180 Iranian admiral and firms over Tehran's arguable nuclear programme.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only

Ministers affair in Brussels aswell agreed to plan on added measures that could ambition Iran's activity sector.

The sanctions chase a UN address bond Iran to the development of a nuclear weapon. Iran denies the claims.

The EU measures aswell appear two canicule afterwards hundreds of Iranian protesters stormed the UK admiral in Tehran.

Britain appear on Wednesday it was expelling all Iranian diplomats from London, afterwards affairs its own out of Tehran.

A agent for EU adopted action arch Catherine Ashton told the BBC that the new sanctions would ambition 39 humans and 141 companies and would cover the freezing of assets and biking bans.

EU ministers said in a statement: "The board agreed to augment absolute sanctions by examining, in abutting adequation with all-embracing partners, added measures including measures aimed at acutely affecting the Iranian banking system, in the carriage sector, in the activity sector."

Correspondents say adopted ministers bootless to accede on an oil embargo adjoin Iran because some EU countries are abased on Iranian oil.

Ministers said a accommodation on approaching measures would be taken no after than January.

Officials say the latest sanctions are not affiliated to the affronted of the British Admiral in Tehran on Tuesday.

However, ministers denounced the advance and said the EU would yield "appropriate measures in response".

The account did not specify what those would be.

Ahead of the Brussels talks, UK Adopted Secretary William Hague said he capital "an accession of the bread-and-butter pressure", decidedly the abreast of Iran's banking sector.

'Nuclear device'

Last anniversary the US, Canada and the UK appear new sanctions adjoin Iran in the deathwatch of the address from the UN nuclear watchdog, the All-embracing Atomic Activity Bureau (IAEA), that said Iran had agitated out tests accompanying to "development of a nuclear device".

EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton: "The Council is outraged by the attack on the British embassy in Tehran and utterly condemns it"

Tehran insists that its nuclear programme is alone for peaceful purposes.

The 27-member EU has already arctic the assets of hundreds of Iranian companies and has adopted measures to anticipate new investment and abstruse abetment to Iran's gas bearing and adorning industry.

The EU is yet to absolution data about the 180 admiral and entities targeted by the sanctions.

Despite the IAEA report, Iran was not referred to the UN Security Board because Russia and China were against to the move.

Iran bidding affliction for the advance on the UK admiral - and addition UK adept admixture in Tehran - and said a amount of protesters had been arrested.

However, the semi-official Fars account bureau said on Thursday that badge had freed 11 humans captivated over the attacks. There was no account for their release.

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