US imposes sanctions on Iran over crackdown on protesters

The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials it accused of being behind the crackdown on protests and said it was tracking Iranian leaders’ funds being wired to international banks, as President Donald Trump keeps the pressure on Tehran.

The US Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on the Secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security as well as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and law enforcement forces commanders, accusing them of being architects of the crackdown.

The US also imposed sanctions on Fardis Prison, where the State Department said women had “endured cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a video on Thursday said Washington’s message to Iran’s leaders was clear: “US Treasury knows, that like rats on a sinking ship, you are frantically wiring funds stolen from Iranian families to banks and financial institutions around the world. Rest assured, we will track them and you.”

“But there’s still time, if you choose to join us. As President Trump has said, stop the violence and stand with the people of Iran.”

US STANDS BEHIND IRANIAN PEOPLE, BESSENT SAYS

Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran’s rulers have blamed their longtime foes the US and Israel for fomenting the unrest.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also said on Thursday the government was trying to address some of the economic problems that first spurred the protests, saying it intended to tackle issues of corruption and foreign exchange rates and that this would improve purchasing power for poorer people.

The unrest started with protests over soaring prices before turning into one of the biggest challenges to the clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The US-based HRANA rights group says it has so far verified the deaths of 2,435 protesters and 153 government-affiliated individuals.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene on behalf of protesters in Iran, where the clerical establishment has cracked down hard on nationwide unrest since December 28.