US Sanctions Iranian Officials Over Protest Crackdown, Warns of Tracking Regime Funds Worldwide
WASHINGTON, Jan —
The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on five senior Iranian officials accused of orchestrating the violent crackdown on nationwide protests, as the administration of President Donald Trump intensified pressure on Tehran.
In a statement, the US Treasury Department said the sanctions target the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for National Security, along with senior commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian law enforcement agencies. US officials described them as key architects behind the suppression of protesters.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking in a video message, warned Iranian leaders that Washington is closely monitoring their financial activities abroad.
“US Treasury knows that, like rats on a sinking ship, you are frantically wiring funds stolen from Iranian families to banks and financial institutions around the world,” Bessent said. “Rest assured, we will track them.”
He added that Iran’s leadership still has a choice.
“There’s still time, if you choose to join us. As President Trump has said, stop the violence and stand with the people of Iran,” he said.
The unrest in Iran began with protests over soaring prices and economic hardship, before evolving into one of the most serious challenges to the ruling establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since late December, Iranian authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown on demonstrations across the country.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of Iranian protesters, accusing Tehran’s leadership of widespread human rights abuses.
“The United States stands firmly behind the Iranian people in their call for freedom and justice,” Bessent said in the Treasury statement. “Treasury will use every tool at its disposal to target those responsible for the regime’s tyrannical oppression of human rights.”
In a separate move, the Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on 18 individuals accused of laundering proceeds from Iranian petroleum and petrochemical sales to foreign markets. US officials said the activities were conducted through so-called “shadow banking” networks linked to already sanctioned Iranian financial institutions.
Thursday’s measures mark the latest escalation under Trump’s renewed “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, which aims to curb Tehran’s oil exports, disrupt its financial networks, and prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
