US issues new Iran-related sanctions

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US Treasury Department on Friday announced a new round of sanctions targeting senior Iranian officials and financial networks.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said it sanctioned Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni Kalagari, who the agency said is responsible for the deaths of thousands of protestors in Iran.

OFAC also designated Babak Morteza Zanjani, an Iranian investor previously convicted of embezzling billions of dollars in oil revenues belonging to the Iranian people.

For the first time, OFAC said the agency designated two digital asset exchanges linked to Zanjani that have processed large volumes of funds associated with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-linked counterparties. The department said the move marks the first time it has designated digital asset exchanges for operating within the financial sector of the Iranian economy.

“Rather than build a prosperous Iran, the regime has chosen to squander what remains of the nation's oil revenues on nuclear weapons development, missiles, and terrorist proxies around the world,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.

Bessent said President Donald Trump has ordered the department to sanction members of the Iranian government.

"Treasury will continue to target Iranian networks and corrupt elites that enrich themselves at the expense of the Iranian people. This includes the regime's attempts to exploit digital assets to evade sanctions and finance cybercriminal operations.

"Like rats on a sinking ship, the regime is frantically wiring funds stolen from Iranian families to banks and financial institutions around the world. Rest assured, Treasury will act," he added.