U.S. sanctions Iranian officials over crackdown on protests

The Hindu
The Hindu
2h ago
The United States imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials it accused of being behind a crackdown on protests and said it was tracking Iranian leaders’ funds being wired to banks worldwide.
U.S. sanctions Iranian officials over crackdown on protests
A What happened
The United States imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials it accused of being behind a crackdown on protests in Iran. The U.S. Treasury said the sanctioned officials included the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for National Security and commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and law enforcement forces. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. Treasury was tracking funds he said were stolen from Iranian families and wired to banks and financial institutions around the world. The U.S.-based HRANA rights group said it had verified 2,435 protester deaths and 153 deaths of government-affiliated individuals.
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Key insights

  • 1

    U.S. Treasury threatened financial tracking of Iranian leaders: Scott Bessent said the U.S. Treasury would track funds he said were being wired by Iranian leaders to banks and financial institutions around the world.

  • 2

    Sanctions expanded beyond protest crackdown to alleged shadow banking: The Treasury imposed sanctions on 18 people it accused of laundering proceeds from Iranian petroleum and petrochemical sales through “shadow banking” networks.

  • 3

    U.S. framed the measures as part of a renewed maximum pressure campaign: The action was described as the latest move since Donald Trump restored a “maximum pressure” campaign that includes driving Iran’s oil exports to zero and preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Takeaways

The United States sanctioned Iranian officials and additional individuals it accused of repression and financial laundering, while warning it was tracking Iranian leaders’ overseas fund transfers.

Topics

World & Politics Policy & Regulation International Affairs Business & Markets Energy & Commodities Human Rights

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