THE EUROPEAN UNION is tightening sanctions against Iran over worries about its nuclear programme.

The EU foreign ministers decided Monday to impose asset freezes and travel bans on more Iranian officials and companies with links to the nuclear programme. According to Forbes.com, several Iranian officials and more than 100 companies have been targeted by the  new round of sanctions.

Last month, the EU ministers imposed sanctions on 32 Iranian officials for human rights abuses.

Iran has been under scrutiny for nearly a decade after revelations that it was running a secret uranium enrichment programme. It has already been hit with four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions over its refusal to halt the activity – however the country insists that it is pursuing its programme for peaceful means.

Meanwhile, Iran has announced its intention of imposing sanctions on the United States officials in response to the country’s “human rights violations”. Reuters quotes lawmaker Kazem Jalali as saying: “Under this plan, 26 American officials who have a history of human rights violations in the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan, and who support terrorism.. will be sanctioned”.

Additional reporting by the AP