US Sanctions Iranian Interior Minister Over Bloody Crackdown

In a significant escalation of diplomatic and economic pressure, the United States government announced a fresh wave of sanctions on Friday against several high-ranking Iranian officials. At the forefront of this list is the Iranian Interior Minister, Eskandar Momeni, who has been accused of orchestrating a “lethal and brutal” suppression of anti-government protests that have swept across the Islamic Republic in recent weeks.

The Scale of the Crackdown

The unrest, which erupted in late December 2025 following a catastrophic collapse of the Iranian rial and soaring living costs, quickly transformed into a nationwide challenge to the theocratic regime. According to the US Department of the Treasury, Momeni holds ultimate responsibility for the Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) of the Islamic Republic, an entity cited as the primary executor of violence against unarmed civilians.

Reports from international human rights monitors suggest that the crackdown reached a harrowing peak in early January 2026. While official Iranian figures acknowledge several thousand deaths, independent organisations estimate the true toll could be far higher, potentially exceeding 30,000 fatalities due to indiscriminate fire in major urban centres.

Targets Beyond the Ministry

The sanctions, issued by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), extend beyond the political sphere to target the regime’s financial lifelines. Alongside Minister Momeni, the US has designated several other security officials and an influential investor, Babak Zanjani. Zanjani is accused of facilitating sophisticated money-laundering schemes and diverting billions in oil revenues to benefit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In a modern twist to traditional sanctions, the Treasury also blacklisted two digital asset exchanges. These platforms were allegedly used to process large volumes of cryptocurrency to bypass international banking restrictions and fund the regime’s repressive machinery.

A Stern Warning from Washington

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered a stinging rebuke of the Iranian leadership, comparing the regime’s frantic efforts to move funds abroad to “rats on a sinking ship.” The sanctions effectively freeze any assets held by these individuals within US jurisdiction and prohibit American citizens and businesses from engaging in any transactions with them.

The move follows a similar tranche of penalties recently imposed by the European Union, signaling a unified Western front against the ongoing human rights violations in Iran. As the internet remains largely severed across much of the country, these international measures represent a critical attempt to hold the Iranian leadership accountable for what many are calling the deadliest period of domestic repression in the nation’s modern history.