Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt says the EU "will have to assess (a reaction) in close consultation with the Americans." He says it's "too early" for the EU to impose retaliatory measures.

Sweden takes over the EU presidency on Wednesday.

Bildt said Tuesday that "repression is the order of the day in Iran." But he announced no specific steps in the wake of Iran's crackdown on protesters and its detention of nine local British Embassy employees.

The EU wants to leave room for resuming dialogue with Iran on its nuclear program. Officials have sought to balance criticism of the crackdown with the need to prevent Iran from slipping further into isolation.