Washington, Jan 31 (.) The United States on Friday announced sweeping new sanctions on Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni Kalagari and several senior Iranian officials, citing their role in the regime’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests.
The US Treasury Department stated that Momeni “oversees the murderous Law Enforcement Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (LEF), a key entity responsible for the deaths of thousands of peaceful protesters.”
In a statement, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said, “Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took additional action against Iranian officials responsible for the regime’s brutal crackdown on its own people. Among the officials sanctioned today is Eskandar Momeni Kalagari, Iran’s Minister of the Interior, who oversees the murderous Law Enforcement Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (LEF), a key entity responsible for the deaths of thousands of peaceful protestors.”
The sanctions also target senior officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian businessman Babak Morteza Zanjani, accused of embezzling billions from the Iranian people.
The Treasury also restricted digital currency exchanges linked to Zanjani that handled large volumes of funds associated with IRGC-affiliated entities.
Under the US sanctions, any assets held by the designated individuals or entities in the United States are frozen, and American citizens and companies are prohibited from doing business with them.
The Treasury noted that Zanjani, freed from imprisonment to launder funds for the regime, has financially backed projects supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the broader Iranian regime.
For the first time, OFAC also designated two digital asset exchanges linked to Zanjani, which had processed large volumes of funds associated with IRGC-linked entities. This marks OFAC’s inaugural action against a digital asset exchange for operating in the Iranian economy.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “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. President Trump stands with the people of Iran and has ordered the Treasury to sanction members of the regime. 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.”
The sanctions target senior officials overseeing the country’s security forces, which have violently suppressed protesters. Momeni Kalagari was singled out for organizing domestic security services, including the LEF, whose actions have resulted in mass killings, arrests, and forced disappearances. Other officials sanctioned include Majid Khademi of the IRGC Intelligence Organization; Ghorban Mohammad Valizadeh, commander of Tehran province’s IRGC Seyyad al-Shohada Corps; Hossein Zare Kamali, IRGC commander of Hamadan province; Hamid Damghani, IRGC commander of Gilan province; and Mehdi Hajian, LEF commander of Kermanshah province.
According to OFAC, security forces in several provinces have engaged in mass killings, sexual violence, and the ransom of the bodies of deceased protesters, with morgues overwhelmed and corpses stacked in streets and containers.
The sanctions were imposed under multiple executive orders, including E.O. 13553 (human rights abuses), E.O. 13224 (counterterrorism), and E.O. 13902 (Iran’s financial, petroleum, and petrochemical sectors). OFAC noted that this action supports the President’s National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 (NSPM-2) to pressure Iran’s shadow banking and sanctions evasion networks. In 2025 alone, OFAC sanctioned over 875 individuals, vessels, and aircraft under this campaign.
Zanjani, who operates in hospitality, transportation, technology, financial services, and oil exports, was previously sentenced to death in Iran for embezzlement, a sentence commuted in 2024. Two UK-registered exchanges linked to him, Zedcex Exchange, Ltd., and Zedxion Exchange, Ltd., have handled billions in transactions connected to IRGC-linked wallets.
The United States reaffirmed its support for the Iranian people, particularly amid internet blackouts that have limited access to communication and news. Treasury encourages parties to consider GL D-2, a license facilitating internet access for Iranians, and continues to expedite guidance and specific licenses as needed.
OFAC emphasized that all property and interests of the designated individuals and entities in the U.S. or controlled by U.S. persons are blocked. Violations of sanctions may result in civil or criminal penalties, and the ultimate aim is not punishment but encouraging positive behavioral change by the Iranian regime.
The sanctions come amid reports of thousands killed in protests earlier this month and follow the European Union’s designation of Iran’s IRGC as a terrorist organization, alongside groups such as Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.
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