Shafaq News– Washington

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and several senior security officials over a “deadly crackdown” on nationwide protests.

According to a statement, the US Treasury also sanctioned Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani and two Britain-registered digital asset exchanges accused of laundering funds linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the European Union designated as a terrorist organization earlier on Friday. The United States designated the IRGC as a terrorist group in 2019.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Iranian elites of exploiting digital assets to evade sanctions and finance illicit operations, adding that the department would continue pursuing Iran’s financial networks worldwide.

Iran has not issued an immediate response.

On January 23, the US sanctioned nine oil tankers and eight companies it said are part of Iran’s “shadow fleet.”

Tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated since protests erupted across Iran on December 28 following the collapse of the national currency. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said at least 6,100 people were killed, while Iranian authorities have acknowledged about 3,000 deaths.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned Iran over the alleged suppression of protests and ordered additional US naval deployments to the Middle East, while also saying he remains open to negotiations with Tehran.

Read more: US military presence signals strategic pressure over direct conflict