US sanctions Iranian officials, banking networks amid protests

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - 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.