US imposes sanctions on Iran officials for suppressing protests

Tehran: The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iranian officials for playing a major role in the “violent suppression” of the demonstrations sparked by the death of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

This step is the latest that Washington has taken in response to the measures taken by Iran in the face of the protests.

The US Treasury said in a statement that it had imposed sanctions on Iran’s public prosecutor, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, accusing him of directing the courts to issue harsh sentences to many of those arrested during the protests.

“Today’s action targets the senior official overseeing the prosecution of protestors, as well as leaders of military and paramilitary organizations violently cracking down and detaining protestors and a company that procures and provides security forces with tools of suppression,” the release said.

Other officials targeted by the sanctions include

• Hassan Hassanzadeh, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards forces in Tehran.

• Moslem Moein, who Washington has accused of overseeing efforts to control and monitor Iranians’ online activities as head of the Basij unit concerned with cyberspace.

• Hossein Maroufi, deputy coordinator of the Basij.

• Imen Sanat Zaman Fara, manufactures numerous types of equipment for Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF), including armored vehicles used in crowd suppression.

• Seyed Sadegh Hosseini, the commander of the Beit-al Moghadas Corps and IRGC Commander in Kurdistan.

“We condemn the Iranian regime’s extensive use of violence against its own people who defend their human rights.”

Brian Nelson, the Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in the statement.

The Islamic Republic is facing one of the largest and most unprecedented manifestations of dissent following the death of a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, who was detained by the morality police for allegedly not wearing a headscarf properly.

As nationwide protests continue throughout Iran, the response from Iranian security forces has continued to escalate. In the past two weeks, two protestors have been executed, one publicly, and several others have been sentenced to death.