The United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) have announced the imposition of sanctions on Iranian officials to mark the first death anniversary of Mahsa Amini in police custody.
US Treasury Department on Friday, September 15, imposed sanctions on 29 people and groups, including 18 key members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF), as well as the head of Iran’s Prisons Organisation.
It also targets officials linked to Iran’s internet blockade and several media outlets including Press TV, Tasnim News Agency, and Fars News Agency.
“As we remember Mahsa’s tragic death today, we stress our commitment to the courageous Iranian people who are completing her mission,” Biden said in a statement.
“The Iranians alone will decide the fate of their country, but the US remains committed to standing by their side, including by providing the necessary tools to support the Iranians’ ability to defend their future,” he added.
On Friday, Britain imposed sanctions on senior Iranian decision-makers implementing Tehran’s mandatory hijab law, including Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, his deputy, the mayor of Tehran, and the Iranian police spokesman, Reuters reported.
Britain also sanctioned Arvan Cloud, an internet cloud service provider.
The sanctions include a UK travel ban on the aforementioned individuals, freezing any of their UK assets and preventing UK entities from doing business with them.
Commenting on these sanctions, the spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Kanaani, denounced these “interventionist statements” and these “absurd and hypocritical displays” on the part of Western countries.
He added, “Unfortunately, some parties who have failed on the level of human and women’s rights are issuing worthless political statements and continuing to impose ineffective sanctions.”
On Wednesday, September 14, Australia also announced that it would be targeting state-run media in Iran through sanctions.
22-year-old Mahsa Amini, died on September 16, 2022, after being arrested in Tehran on charges of violating the strict dress code imposed on women in Iran.
Her death sparked protests across the country under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
Human rights groups said that more than 500 people, including 71 minors, were killed, hundreds injured and thousands arrested in the unrest that was eventually crushed by security forces.
Iranian leaders described the protests as a conspiracy hatched by forces hostile to their country, led by Israel and the US.
