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The United States imposed sanctions Friday on Iran's interior minister and several other officials in response to a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests that authorities acknowledge killed thousands of people in recent weeks.
Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, who oversees Iran's Law Enforcement Forces, was designated for his role leading an entity "responsible for the deaths of thousands of peaceful protesters," the Treasury Department said. The sanctions also target high-ranking officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iranian investor Babak Morteza Zanjani, accused of embezzling billions from the Iranian people.
In an unprecedented move, Treasury sanctioned digital currency exchanges linked to Zanjani that have processed large volumes of funds for entities connected to the IRGC, marking the first time such cryptocurrency platforms have faced US restrictions related to Iran.
The sanctions follow the European Union's decision Thursday to designate the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, imposing visa bans and asset freezes on numerous Iranian state entities and officials.
Iranian authorities have acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths during the recent protests but claim the majority were security force members or bystanders killed by "rioters." Rights groups dispute this account, warning the actual toll likely reaches tens of thousands.
Under the sanctions framework, any assets the designated individuals or entities hold in the United States are frozen. US companies and citizens are prohibited from conducting business with them, with violators risking sanctions themselves.
The Treasury Department said the United States "supports the Iranian people in their protests against the corrupt and repressive regime in Tehran." The country already maintains extensive sanctions against Iran.
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