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U.S. Sanctions Iranian Security Chiefs and Shadow Banking Network Over Protest Crackdown

The move underscores a shift to financial pressure over immediate military action.

Overview

  • The Treasury named five officials it says drove the repression, including Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for National Security, accused of urging force against protesters.
  • Treasury also designated 18 individuals and entities alleged to launder petroleum proceeds through shadow banking networks with links to the UAE, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
  • The State Department targeted Fardis Prison, citing cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of women held there.
  • The sanctions freeze any U.S.-held assets, bar U.S. persons from transactions, and threaten foreign banks with secondary sanctions for dealings with the listed entities.
  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned the U.S. is tracking Iranian leaders’ overseas transfers, as rights groups report more than 2,400 protester deaths with figures difficult to verify under a communications blackout.