America Imposes Sanctions on Several Iranian Officials Including the Interior Minister

SadaNews - The United States announced on Friday the imposition of sanctions on a number of Iranian officials in light of the crackdown on protests in Iran in recent weeks.

Among those sanctioned is Interior Minister Iskandar Mo'meni, "who oversees the violent repression forces of the Iranian Republic, a key entity responsible for the killing of thousands of peaceful protesters," according to a statement from the U.S. Treasury Department.

This announcement came after the European Union approved sanctions against Iranian officials, including Interior Minister Iskandar Mo'meni, in response to the suppression of protests, while the European Union classified the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.

Moreover, ministers of the Union imposed sanctions on Attorney General Mohammad Mohammadi Azad, as well as 15 other officials and six entities, including Seyed Majid Faez Jafari, a commander in the Revolutionary Guard, Eman Afsahri, head of the revolutionary court, and Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of the Khatam al-Anbiya Forces, according to a list published in the official gazette of the continental bloc.

The sanctions included asset freezes and travel visa bans on the mentioned officials.

These steps came as human rights organizations accuse the Revolutionary Guard of being behind the recent crackdown on protests that resulted in thousands of deaths.

It is noteworthy that Iran has witnessed widespread protests since December 28 of last year, which began from the Tehran bazaar in the capital, before expanding to several areas, transitioning from economic demands to political demands.

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities accused Israel and America of intervening and attempting to destabilize the country. They also accused "terrorist elements" of infiltrating among the protesters and opening fire in order to raise the death toll.