EU to apply further sanctions on Iran, Britain says

Luxembourg - European Union foreign ministers are set to approve a further round of sanctions against Iran in reaction to continued human rights abuses, Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said.

The EU is already applying sanctions on Iran because of its refusal to open its nuclear programme to international supervision. But Hague said 'restrictive measures' would also be decided with regard to 32 Iranian officials.

'The European Union is agreeing today on restrictive measures on 32 individuals we believe are responsible and instrumental' to human rights violations, Hague told reporters before meeting EU counterparts in Luxembourg.

Hague said Iran was being targeted for 'the imprisonment of opposition leaders, the detention of more journalists than any other country in the world, the excessive use of the death penalty, often on vague charges.'

'Iran seems to have believed that with all the change happening in the Middle East that they can get away with an even worse human rights situation,' Britain's top diplomat said.

EU foreign ministers would also renew sanctions against the military regime in Burma, another country which has long been accused of human rights violations, Hague said.