(Bloomberg) -- The German government is considering further measures against Iran following the imposition of sanctions over a deadly crackdown on protests triggered by the death of a young Iranian woman, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

“We condemn the disproportionate violence of the security forces and stand by the people of Iran,” Scholz said in a post on Twitter on Monday. “Our EU sanctions are important. We are considering further steps.”

Nationwide protests have erupted in Iran after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody. She had been arrested for allegedly flouting strict Islamic dress codes. 

“We are using our means to stand by the people who are taking to the streets in Iran to defend their rights,” Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesman for the German Chancellery, told reporters in Berlin, adding that the further measures “are not ready to be announced at this time.”

A spokesperson for the European Union declined to comment but pointed to a previous statement by the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, that the bloc could take other decisions after an earlier package of sanctions on Iran over human rights abuses.

--With assistance from Natalia Drozdiak.

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