Tehran, Apr 25 (IANS): The Iranian Foreign Ministry has imposed sanctions on 17 individuals and four entities of the European Union and the UK for "supporting terrorism and fomenting violence and unrest in Iran".

"The retaliatory move targets those interfering in Iran's domestic affairs, and supporting terrorism and violence," the ministry said on Monday in a statement published on its website, Xinhua news agency reported.

These targets were also accused of spreading disinformation about Iran and initiating or encouraging the escalation of sanctions against its people, it added.

The sanctions, covering one entity and 11 individuals from the EU and three British entities and six persons, include visa issuance and entry bans as well as assets and bank accounts freeze, the statement said.

Earlier in the day, the EU and the UK imposed sanctions on several Iranian individuals and entities over their alleged human rights violations in Iran, which was slammed by Iran as flagrant violations of the fundamental principle of the UN Charter.

Iran had imposed "tit-for-tat" sanctions before its latest move on Monday.

In September 2022, 22-year-old Iranian girl Mahsa Amini died in a Tehran hospital while in police custody. The Iranian morality police had arrested her for not properly wearing the Islamic headscarf known as the hijab.

Amini's death triggered fierce protests and social unrest across Iran, with Tehran accusing the US and some other Western countries of inciting riots and supporting terrorists in the country.