The EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton expressed deep concern over the fact that Iran has become a world leader in executions in the first half of this year, RIA Novosti said.
"In this regard, the EU calls for Iran, as well as all the other countries that insist on maintaining the death penalty, to stop the death sentences and to impose a moratorium on the death penalty," Ashton said.
The European Union imposed sanctions against 32 representatives of the Iranian leadership in connection with their involvement in human rights violations in April. The sanctions include freezing the assets of Iranian officials and a ban on their entry into the EU countries.
The EU, in particular, strongly condemns the executions, the repression against Iranian citizens, human rights activists, lawyers, journalists, bloggers, members of ethnic and religious minorities, as well as the opposition.
According to the Agency France Presse, 171 people have been hanged since early 2011.