US sanctions Khamenei aide, other Iranian officials over protest crackdown

New penalties travel arsenic US President Trump welcomes purported Iranian determination to halt execution of antigovernment demonstrators.

The United States has imposed caller sanctions against Iran, targeting governmental and information officials implicit the crackdown connected antigovernment protesters, amid US President Donald Trump’s threats to intervene militarily against the country.

The US penalties connected Tuesday targeted Ali Larijani, the caput of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNCS), and respective different officials, who it said were the “architects” of Tehran’s “brutal” effect to the demonstrations.

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“The United States stands firmly down the Iranian radical successful their telephone for state and justice,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said successful a statement.

“At the absorption of President Trump, the Treasury Department is sanctioning cardinal Iranian leaders progressive successful the brutal crackdown against the Iranian people. Treasury volition usage each instrumentality to people those down the regime’s tyrannical oppression of quality rights.”

The sanctions frost the individuals’ assets successful the US and marque it amerciable for American citizens to bash concern with them.

With Iran already nether dense sanctions, the measures are mostly symbolic, but they awesome mounting US unit against Iran amid the protests. Larijani is simply a adjacent advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Earlier this week, aft Trump called connected Iranians to “take over” nationalist institutions and “save the names of the killers and abusers”, Larijani was speedy to respond, accusing Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sidesplitting Iranians.

“We state the names of the main killers of the radical of Iran: 1- Trump 2- Netanyahu,” helium wrote connected X.

Thousands of protesters are believed to person been killed successful the question of demonstrations that gripped Iran since the commencement of the year, according to respective activist groups.

The Iranian authorities has described the demonstrators arsenic equipped rioters, egged connected by the US and Israel to dispersed chaos, saying that much than 100 security officers person been killed by equipped attacks during the demonstrations.

Al Jazeera is not capable to independently verify these figures.

Authorities person besides imposed an net blackout connected the country, making it hard to verify the decease toll arsenic good arsenic claims from some sides.

On Tuesday, Israel’s Channel 14, which is aligned with Netanyahu, reported that “foreign actors” are arming protesters successful Iran to people authorities personnel.

After Trump escalated his rhetoric for days, a US onslaught connected Iran appeared imminent precocious connected Thursday.

Iran unopen down its airspace; respective Israeli towns opened their weaponry shelters; and the US withdrew immoderate unit from the region.

Iran had threatened a terrible effect against immoderate US attack.

But arsenic the satellite held its enactment successful anticipation of the strikes, Trump softened his position, saying that helium had been told that the sidesplitting of protesters had stopped.

“They [Iranian officials] said radical were shooting astatine them with guns, and they were shooting back,” Trump said. “And you know, it’s 1 of those things, but they told maine that determination volition beryllium nary executions, and truthful I anticipation that’s true.”

He reiterated that connection connected Thursday, saying that it is “good news” that Iran volition not beryllium executing protesters.

In June, Israel attacked Iran without provocation, sidesplitting dozens of apical subject officials and atomic scientists, arsenic good arsenic hundreds of civilians.

Trump has said helium was “very overmuch successful charge” of the Israeli onslaught, which culminated successful the US bombing Iran’s main atomic facilities earlier a ceasefire was reached.

Before the protests erupted successful Iran, Trump past threatened to weaponry the state again if it rebuilds its atomic oregon rocket programmes arsenic helium hosted Netanyahu successful the US authorities of Florida.

The US is besides intensifying its economical sanctions against Iran with the purpose of choking Tehran’s lipid sales.

On Thursday, the US Department of the Treasury announced caller measures against 18 firms and individuals that it said are progressive successful Iran’s vigor exports.