The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran's Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, also known as Abdolreza Fazli, and several other top officials, saying they were responsible for the Iranian government's violent crackdown on nationwide protests.
The US Department of the Treasury said on Friday that "Mr. Fazli leads the Islamic Republic of Iran's law enforcement forces, which have been responsible for the killings of thousands of peaceful protesters."
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a statement, "Today, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took additional action against officials who have committed violence against the Iranian people."
The sanctions also targeted top officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani, who is accused of embezzling billions of dollars from the Iranian people. The ministry also blocked a digital currency exchange linked to Mr. Zanjani.
Under the US sanctions, any assets of the designated individuals or entities are frozen, and American citizens and companies are prohibited from doing business with them. The Treasury Department said that Mr. Zanjani had provided financial support to projects that supported the IRGC and the broader Iranian government.
OFAC for the first time designated two digital asset exchanges linked to Mr. Zanjani. This is its first action against digital asset exchanges operating in the Iranian economy.
Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said, "Instead of building a prosperous Iran, the government has chosen to fund the development of nuclear weapons, missiles, and terrorist proxy groups around the world with the country's oil revenue." "President Donald Trump stands with the Iranian people and has directed the Treasury to impose sanctions on the regime officials."
Other designated officials include IRGC Intelligence Organization's Majid Khatami, IRGC Seyyed al-Shohada Corps Commander Ghorban Mohammad Vahedi in Tehran Province, IRGC Commander Hossein Zare' Kamali in Hamedan Province, Hamid Daghagheleh, IRGC EL Ka Commander in Kermanshah Province, and Mehdi Hajian.