WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The Trump administration Friday against ‘s interior minister, accusing of repressing that have challenged Tehran’s theocratic government. The penalties are the latest by the United States and the European Union targeting high-ranking officials over the crackdown.
The administration says Momeni has overseen Iran’s law enforcement forces that are responsible for the deaths of thousands of peaceful protesters.
Economic woes in late December before they broadened into a challenge to the Islamic Republic. The crackdown soon followed, which activists say has killed more than 6,000 people. Iranian officials and state media repeatedly refer to the demonstrators as 鈥渢errorists.鈥�
on Thursday imposed its own sanctions against Momeni, along with members of Iran’s judicial system and other high-ranking officers.
鈥淭hey 鈥媤ere all involved 鈥宨n the violent repression of peaceful protests and the arbitrary arrest of political 鈦燼ctivists and 鈥媓uman rights 鈥媎efenders,鈥� according to the EU.
Also Friday, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets imposed sanctions on Babak Morteza Zanjani, an Iranian investor who is accused of embezzling billions of dollars in Iranian oil revenue for the benefit of the Iranian government. Two digital asset exchanges linked to Zanjani that have processed large volumes of funds were penalized, too.
The EU has agreed to list Iran鈥檚 paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, in a largely symbolic move that adds to pressure on Tehran.
In response, Iran is considering designating the militaries of EU countries as terrorist groups, according to a post Friday on X by Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran鈥檚 Supreme National Security Council. The Iranian parliament is expected to pass that measure Sunday.
The EU did not immediately comment.
Included in the last set of U.S. sanctions is the secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security, whom the Treasury Department accuses of being one of the first officials to call for violence against Iranian protesters. The sanctions also target a group of 18 people and companies accused of participating in laundering money from sales of Iranian oil to foreign markets as part of a shadow banking network of sanctioned Iranian financial institutions.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department 鈥渨ill continue to target Iranian networks and corrupt elites that enrich themselves at the expense of the Iranian people.鈥�
“Like rats on a sinking ship, the regime is frantically wiring funds stolen from Iranian families to banks and financial institutions around the world. Rest assured, Treasury will act,鈥� he said in a statement.
Among other things, the sanctions deny the people and firms access to any property or financial assets held in the U.S., limit travel to America and prevent U.S. companies and citizens from doing business with them.
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Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed to this report
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