The European Union today strengthened its sanctions against the Revolutionary Guards, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ideological army, over its crackdown on protests that erupted after the death of Mahsha Amini. The new sanctions concern 5 persons and two entities, the European Council announced on its Twitter account.

EU foreign ministers blacklisted “IRCG Cooperative Foundation”, the body responsible for investments in the Revolutionary Guards.

The sanction allows for the freezing of EU assets held by the foundation and banned any funding from it.

The EU also imposed sanctions on the “Student Basij Organization (SBO)”, a wing of the Bassij organization accused of violent repression on university campuses.

Three soldiers and a judge, Sirjan prosecutor Mosen Nikvarz, who is believed to be responsible for many arrests of lawyers and death sentences, are banned from entering the EU.

This is the eighth package of sanctions against Iran decided by the 27 following the September 16 death of Mahsha Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin, who died after being arrested by morality police for violating the Islamic dress code.

European restrictive measures are now applied against 217 individuals and 37 entities in Iran.

The Guards, created in 1979 after the victory of the revolution against the Shah’s rule, have ground, naval and air forces, with a strength of more than 120,000 men.

The Guards supervise the Basij, (Islamist volunteer corps), which was deployed in response to the protests that broke out over the death of Mahsha Amini.