US imposes sanctions on Iranians it alleges ‘drove’ crackdown on protesters
The Treasury Department, in a statement on its website, said that it has imposed sanctions against Secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and law enforcement forces commanders.
Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran. (UGC via AP)
The United States’ Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials it accused of orchestrating the massive crackdown on protesters and cautioned that the department was tracking Iranian leaders’ funds which are wired in the banks across the world as President Donald Trump increases pressure on Iran.
The Treasury Department, in a statement on its website, said that it has imposed sanctions against Secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and law enforcement forces commanders as the department believes they were the architect of the crackdown on demonstrators in Iran, where over 2,500 people have been killed.
In a video message on Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the message from Washington to Tehran is clear: “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. Rest assured, we will track them and you.”
The United States 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… pic.twitter.com/27Rt8ajWu1
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) January 15, 2026
The unrest in Iran started amid soaring prices but soon took a turn against the clerical regime making it one of the biggest challenges for the President Masoud Pezeshkian’s establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
According to US-based HRANA right group data, about 2,435 protesters have died in the massive crackdown by the authorities and 153 government-affiliated individuals have also been killed.
Trump has repeatedly cautioned the Iranian regime to intervene militarily on behalf of protesters where the theocratic rulers have cracked down hard on protesters since the demonstrations began on December 28.
The treasury department also imposed sanction on 18 other people it accused of laundering the proceeds of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical sales to foreign markets as part of “shadow banking” networks.
Bessent, in the statement said, “The United States stands firmly behind the Iranian people in their call for freedom and justice. Treasury will use every tool to target those behind the regime’s tyrannical oppression of human rights.”
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Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran. (UGC via AP) 
