Just days after President Joe Biden said that Washington would impose extra penalties on Iranians guilty for violence against protestors, the United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Iran’s interior and communications ministers, among others.
On its website, the US Treasury made the sanctions public. Seven prominent Iranian officials were among those targeted by these sanctions after Mahsa Amini, a young woman, died while being held in detention in Tehran. They were charged of taking part in the suppression of demonstrators.
According to a Treasury statement, those sanctioned included Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi, who was described as “the regime’s principal tool in the crackdown,” and Communications Minister Issa Zareepour, who was “responsible for the disgraceful attempt to destroy the Internet.”
Senior security personnel who have had their assets in the US frozen and have difficult access to the global financial system are among the targets.
In the statement, Deputy Treasury Secretary Brian Nelson said, “The United States opposes the Iranian government’s banning of the Internet and violent suppression of peaceful protests and will not hesitate to punish individuals who direct and support these acts.”
These sanctions come as weeks-long protests in dozens of Iranian cities have grown into the most significant challenge to the country’s authority in years.
When Iran’s “moral police” detained Mahsa Amini in September, she claimed that she had not worn the required scarf to properly cover her hair. Mahsa passed away three days after collapsing at a police station.
After Mahsa Amini was killed, there were demonstrations in other Iranian cities, and the government crushed them with ruthless brutality.
Since the protests started on September 17, at least 35 journalists and photographers have been detained by Iranian authorities, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
In a different context, Eutelsat today said that Iran has been jamming two of its satellites since September 26 and added that it had requested the appropriate authorities in the nation to halt immediately.
The Paris-based satellite operator continued, “The jamming impacts the transmission of several Persian digital TV and radio stations from outside Iran, as well as other channels.”
Seven Iranian officials, including the interior minister, are subject to American penalties.
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