The European Union accused Iran Monday of torture and a catalog of civil liberties abuses, but foreign ministers said they wanted to maintain a dialogue on human rights.
For that reason, the 15-nation EU stopped just short of agreeing to table a resolution condemning Iran at the United Nations, saying instead it would "convey its serious concern."
"The Council continues to be seriously concerned about executions being carried out in Iran in apparent absence of respect for internationally recognized safeguards," the EU said in a statement on an Iran-EU human rights dialogue last week.
"The Council is equally concerned by the continued use of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment in Iran," it added.
The statement highlighted public executions and amputations as well as shortcomings in freedom of opinion and expression, women's rights, religious freedom, and discrimination against women and girls.
It drew special attention to the case of Zahra Kazemi, a Canadian citizen of Iranian descent whose death in custody in June, from a blow to the head, seriously damaged relations between Ottawa and Tehran.
A member of Iran's intelligence services is currently on trial for her murder, a charge he denies.
Kazemi's family is to be represented in Iranian courts by human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last week. The EU congratulated Ebadi in its statement as an "eminent Iranian lawyer and human rights defender."
While welcoming the dialogue and looking forward to the next round of talks on human rights, to be held in Tehran, the EU said improvements on the ground were needed if talks were to continue.
"As the Council has recalled on previous occasions, this dialogue is an acceptable option only if sufficient progress is achieved and reflected on the ground," the statement said.
The EU is fully backing demands by the U.N. nuclear watchdog that Iran produce proof before the end of this month that it is not secretly working to develop nuclear weapons under cover of its bigger than previously disclosed civilian nuclear program.
"The Council considered that the Iranian nuclear program remains an issue of grave concern...," the statement said, reaffirming that the entire relationship would be reviewed in the light of Tehran's compliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency deadline.