BRUSSELS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has added two Iranian individuals and the Directorate for Internal Security of the Iranian Ministry for Intelligence and Security to an EU terrorist list and subject them to sanctions, it said Wednesday.
The Council of the EU said in a press release on Wednesday morning that the listings have been adopted by the council as part of its response to what it said were "recent foiled attacks" on European soil.
Iran has yet to respond to the EU's latest decision and the allegations.
The latest EU decision was adopted by its General Affairs Council on Tuesday and published in the Official Journal of the EU on Wednesday.
The Council also renewed the restrictive measures on those who had been previously put on the list, following a biannual review. The list now covers 15 individuals and 21 groups and entities.
Persons, groups and entities on the list are subject to an asset freeze. EU operators are also prohibited from making funds and economic resources available to them.
The EU did not specify the details of the "recent foiled attacks," but according to a letter published by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the new sanctions include alleged Iranian actions in the Netherlands, France and Denmark.
The Netherlands, together with Britain, France, Germany, Denmark and Belgium, met with Iranian authorities to convey their serious concerns regarding Iran's probable involvement in these hostile acts on Tuesday, the letter said.
The EU did not specify the possible impact of its latest decision on the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, but there are signs that the nuclear deal is treated as a separate issue.
In a separate development, a British Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said on Tuesday, "we remain committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, for as long as Iran continues to implement it in full."
"This agreement remains central to international efforts to halt nuclear proliferation and is crucial for the security of the region. But we are clear that this commitment does not preclude us from addressing other hostile and destabilising activities," the spokesperson said.
