US imposes sanctions on top Iranian officials after protest violence | World News

The United States on Friday imposed new sanctions on Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and several other officials, citing Tehran’s violent response to recent anti-government protests.

Announcing the measures, the US Treasury Department said Momeni “oversaw the murderous Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a key organization responsible for the deaths of thousands of peaceful protesters.”

The sanctions package also targets Iranian investor Babak Morteza Zanjani, who is accused of embezzling billions of dollars of Iranian people’s funds, as well as several senior officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In a first-of-its-kind move, the Treasury also imposed restrictions on digital currency exchanges affiliated with Zanjani that “processed large amounts of funds associated with IRGC-linked counterparties.”

The agency said the US “supports the Iranian people in their protests against the corrupt and oppressive regime in Tehran” despite already maintaining comprehensive sanctions against Tehran.

Under US sanctions rules, all assets held by designated individuals or entities in the US are frozen. The measures also ban American companies and citizens from doing business with those listed; violations carry greater risk of penalties.

According to The Times of Israel, this US action came after European Union foreign ministers agreed to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, putting the powerful force in the same category as the Islamic State and Al Qaeda.

Reacting to the decision, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote about X: “The pressure cannot remain unanswered.” “Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working towards its own demise,” he added.

While Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described this move as “historic”, an Israeli official said that this appointment would facilitate the trial of Revolutionary Guard members.

Momentum for the decision grew following the violent crackdown on anti-regime protests that left thousands dead across the country earlier this month, according to The Times of Israel.

In this context, Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said: “It is important that we send this signal that the bloodshed we have seen, the brutal violence against protesters, cannot be tolerated.”

Previously reluctant France and Italy backed the move this week, while Israel welcomed what it called the culmination of years of diplomatic efforts.

Emphasizing Israel’s role, Sa’ar wrote about

Iran reacted strongly to the appointment, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi calling it a “major strategic mistake” that would fuel conflict.

In a post on X, Araghchi said, “Many countries are currently trying to prevent all-out war from breaking out in our region. Europe is instead busy fanning the flames.” he said.

“After pursuing ‘withdrawal’ on its orders, the USA is now making another major strategic mistake by declaring our National Army a so-called ‘terrorist organisation’.”

From Israel’s perspective, this appointment carries concrete legal consequences. An Israeli official said the move would give the EU stronger tools to take action against Iran, noting that officials now only need to prove involvement with the Revolutionary Guard rather than involvement in a specific terrorist plot. Assets can be frozen more easily.

Expanding further on the operational implications, “it will be easier for the liaison between law enforcement agencies in Europe to share information and cooperate through Europol,” the official said, adding that criminal networks will think twice about aiding the Revolutionary Guard once they realize European institutions are watching closely.

In addition to the IRGC list, the EU also imposed sanctions on 15 individuals and six organizations, including senior officials and IRGC commanders, for serious human rights violations in Iran. The additional measures target organizations linked to censorship and online disinformation, as well as organizations linked to Iran’s drone and missile programs, and the bloc is expanding restrictions on exports of components used in UAV and missile production, The Times of Israel reported.