Iranian demonstrators taking to the streets of the capital Tehran, Iran, Sept. 21, 2022 (Credit: AFP)
WASHINGTON — The United States imposed new sanctions on Iran Wednesday, targeting Iranian officials and entities over internet censorship and a crackdown on protesters following the death of a young woman in the custody of the morality police.
Demonstrations ignited by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody on Sept. 16 have become one of the boldest challenges to Iran's clerical leadership since the 1979 revolution.
The US Treasury Department said in a statement that it imposed sanctions on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials, provincial and Iranian prison officials, as well as two entities accused of "efforts to disrupt digital freedom" in Iran.
The action targets Hedayat Farzadi, who the Treasury accused of operating Evin prison— which mostly holds political prisoners and where Washington said numerous protesters have been sent. Seyyed Heshmatollah Hayat Al-Ghaib, the director-general of Tehran Province Prisons — which the Treasury said gave him oversight of Evin — was also named among the sanctioned individuals.
The commander of the IRGC intelligence organization, Mohammad Kazemi, and Abbas Nilforushan, the deputy commander for IRGC operations, were also named.
The sanctions freeze any US assets belonging to the named individuals and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. Those who engage in certain transactions with them also risk being hit with sanctions.
Reporting contributed by Daphne Psaledakis.