US sanctions Iranian officials, banking networks amid protests

WASHINGTON

The US Treasury Department on Thursday announced new sanctions targeting senior Iranian security officials and financial networks, as protests spread across Iran.

The sanctions, imposed by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), are aimed at what US officials described as the architects of Iran’s "violent" crackdown on demonstrators.

"OFAC today is also taking action against the shadow banking networks that allow Iran’s elite to steal and launder revenue generated by the country’s natural resources," it said in a statement.

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said the US stands "firmly" behind the Iranian people in their call for "freedom and justice."

"At the direction of President Trump, the Treasury Department is sanctioning key Iranian leaders involved in the brutal crackdown against the Iranian people. Treasury will use every tool to target those behind the regime’s tyrannical oppression of human rights," he said.

Among those sanctioned is Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for National Security. According to the statement, Larijani was one of the first senior leaders to publicly call for "violence" in response to protests.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to back protesters in Iran, where a crackdown by authorities is said to have resulted in thousands of casualties.

Iranian officials have accused the US and Israel of backing “riots” and “terrorism” in the protests.

While Iranian authorities have not released official figures on casualties or detainees, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) estimates that more than 2,600 people have been killed, including protesters and security personnel.

In a separate statement, the State Department said the measures were intended to support Iranians who have taken to the streets to demand fundamental freedoms.

"As the brave people of Iran continue to fight for their basic rights, the Iranian regime has responded with violence and cruel repression against its own people.

"In response, the United States is designating the notorious Fardis Prison, an institution where women have endured cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment," deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

He added that the Treasury also designated 18 individuals and entities tied to Iran’s “shadow banking” networks, accusing them of involvement in laundering the country's oil and petrochemical revenues.

"We will continue to deny the regime access to financial networks and the global banking system while it continues to oppress the Iranian people," Pigott added.