Amid already heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, the U.S. Treasury Department has announced sanctions against a group of Iranian officials in response to the violent crackdown on anti-government protestors that occurred earlier this month. The sanctions, announced Friday, are intended to hold those responsible accountable for human rights abuses and the suppression of peaceful demonstrations.
The sanctions target Iranian officials who oversee the Iranian security forces responsible for the violent crackdowns on protesters, as well as an Iranian investor who embezzled billions in funds from the Iranian people. Among those blacklisted is Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni Kalagari, who oversees the country's Law Enforcement Forces. Also sanctioned was Babak Morteza Zanjani, described by the Treasury as a criminal Iranian investor who previously embezzled billions of dollars in Iranian oil revenue and has provided financial backing for the regime and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Treasury Department also sanctioned the Secretary of Iran's Supreme Council for National Security for allegedly calling for violence against protesters.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the U.S. stands with the Iranian people and supports their call for freedom and justice. He added that the U.S. is monitoring Iranian leaders' financial movements through global banking channels and urged Tehran to immediately end the use of force against protesters. Bessent also commented on the Iranian regime "frantically wiring funds stolen from Iranian families to banks and financial institutions around the world," and assured that the Treasury will act.
These sanctions generally block access to U.S. assets and business, and prohibit transactions within the U.S. that involve the sanctioned individuals and entities.
The U.S. has accused those individuals of being key architects behind the government's response to widespread demonstrations. The sanctions also extend to Farest Prison, which the U.S. State Department said has been the site where women have endured cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.
The recent protests in Iran have been fueled by rising inflation, crumbling infrastructure, and shortages of water and electricity. The U.S. believes that the Iranian regime is squandering the country's wealth on funding terrorist militias abroad and its vast weapons programs rather than addressing the basic needs of its people.
These sanctions are the latest পদক্ষেপ in the U.S. government's ongoing efforts to pressure Iran over its human rights record, nuclear program, and regional activities. The U.S. has repeatedly called on Iran to respect the rights of its citizens and to cease its destabilizing actions in the region.
