- U.S. sanctions target senior Iranian officials for violently suppressing protests.
- The action names a key adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader for inciting violence.
- Sanctions also aim to disrupt shadow banking networks laundering Iranian oil revenue.
- The U.S. frames this as standing with the Iranian people for freedom and justice.
- This escalation continues the maximum pressure campaign against Iran's regime.
The United States Treasury Department announced new sanctions Thursday targeting senior Iranian officials and shadow banking networks for violently suppressing domestic protests and engaging in illicit financial activities. The action, directed by President Donald Trump, explicitly names Ali Larijani, a key adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accusing him of calling for violence against Iranian citizens demonstrating for economic and political reforms. This latest salvo reinforces Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign and aligns the U.S. government directly with the protesters’ cause, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing confrontation with the Islamic Republic.
The sanctions spotlight the brutal crackdown that has followed waves of unrest beginning in late December. According to reports from the U.S.-based HRANA rights group, the turmoil has led to the deaths of at least 2,400 protesters, transforming economic grievances into one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s clerical establishment in decades. The Treasury Department’s statement details sanctions not only on Larijani but also on several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders who oversee security forces implicated in the repression. A prison where women allegedly endured “cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment” was also targeted.
A stand for freedom and justice
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent framed the sanctions as a moral stand. “The United States stands firmly behind the Iranian people in their call for freedom and justice,” Bessent stated. He emphasized the administration’s resolve, adding, “Treasury will use every tool to target those behind the regime’s tyrannical oppression of human rights.” This language positions America not merely as a geopolitical adversary of the state, but as an active champion of the Iranian populace against its rulers.
The financial dimension of the crackdown received equal attention. Alongside the officials, the Treasury imposed sanctions on 18 individuals and companies tied to complex “shadow banking” networks. These networks are accused of laundering proceeds from Iranian petroleum and petrochemical sales to bypass existing international sanctions. Bessent issued a direct warning to regime elites, comparing them to “rats on a sinking ship” who are “frantically wiring funds stolen from Iranian families to banks and financial institutions around the world.” He assured them, “We will track them and you.”
The context of maximum pressure
Historically, this move is not an isolated event but a continuation of a strategy revived under the current administration. The Trump administration restored a “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, aiming to cripple its economy and curb its regional influence and nuclear ambitions. These new sanctions fit neatly into that broader framework, which includes efforts to drive Iranian oil exports to zero. While Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, the U.S. policy treats its potential as an existential threat.
The international backdrop adds weight to the Treasury’s actions. Just a day prior, the Group of Seven (G7) nations issued a joint statement expressing “grave concern” over the crackdown and warning that Iran’s “continued crackdown in violation of international human rights obligations could prompt further restrictive measures.” This collective Western posture isolates Tehran further and suggests coordinated economic and diplomatic steps may follow if the violence persists.
Iranian leaders have consistently blamed the unrest on foreign adversaries. Following Trump’s recent calls for Iranians to “take over” public institutions, Larijani himself responded on social media, writing, “We declare the names of the main killers of the people of Iran: 1- Trump 2- Netanyahu.” This exchange highlights the deeply personal and adversarial nature of the current U.S.-Iran dialogue, where rhetoric fuels an already volatile situation.
For the average Iranian, the sanctions are a double-edged sword. Although they are intended to punish the ruling class, broad economic penalties have historically contributed to the inflation and hardship that sparked the original protests. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged these problems Thursday, stating the government intends to tackle corruption and foreign exchange issues to improve purchasing power for the poor. However, such promises ring hollow for many amid continued state violence and internet blackouts that obscure the true scale of the crisis.
Will this calibrated pressure alter the regime’s behavior or simply deepen its siege mentality? The Trump administration has clearly chosen a side, betting that empowering the Iranian people’s discontent will ultimately achieve what decades of diplomacy have not: a fundamental change in Tehran’s conduct.
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