US Slaps New Sanctions on Iranian Officials over Protest Crackdown 

People walk next to closed shops in downtown of the capital city of Tehran, Iran, 05 December 2022. (EPA)
People walk next to closed shops in downtown of the capital city of Tehran, Iran, 05 December 2022. (EPA)
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US Slaps New Sanctions on Iranian Officials over Protest Crackdown 

People walk next to closed shops in downtown of the capital city of Tehran, Iran, 05 December 2022. (EPA)
People walk next to closed shops in downtown of the capital city of Tehran, Iran, 05 December 2022. (EPA)

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iranian officials, including the Prosecutor General and key military officials, over a crackdown on protests ignited by Mahsa Amini's death in police custody. 

The US Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on Mohammad Montazeri, Iran’s Prosecutor General, accusing him of issuing a directive to courts in September to issue harsh sentences to many of those arrested during protests. 

Also designated was Iranian company Imen Sanat Zaman Fara, which the Treasury said manufactures equipment for Iran's Law Enforcement Forces, including armored vehicles used in crowd suppression. 

Washington also imposed sanctions on two senior officials of Iran’s Basij Resistance Forces, a militia affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards that has been widely deployed during the crackdown, and two Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials. 

The move is the latest in a series of actions Washington has taken imposing new sanctions on Iranian officials over Iran's crackdown on the unrest ignited by the death of Amini, a young Iranian Kurdish woman, while in the custody of the morality police in September. 

The protests by Iranians from all walks of life mark one of the boldest challenges to the ruling theocracy since the 1979 revolution. Iran accuses Western powers of fomenting the unrest, which security forces have met with deadly violence.  



Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich to Meet US Treasury Secretary Next Week

Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich arrives to attend a weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem March 5, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich arrives to attend a weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem March 5, 2023. (Reuters)
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Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich to Meet US Treasury Secretary Next Week

Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich arrives to attend a weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem March 5, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich arrives to attend a weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem March 5, 2023. (Reuters)

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a right-winger kept at arms length by Washington under former President Joe Biden, will meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington next Wednesday, Smotrich's spokesman said on Thursday.

Smotrich went to Washington in March 2023 to meet with leaders of Israel's US-based government bonds program but did not meet any officials from Biden's administration.

The pro-settler Smotrich had clashed with Biden officials, including then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, over aid and banking arrangements for the Palestinian territories.

Smotrich has praised President Donald Trump, including over a decision to lift sanctions imposed under Biden against Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of being involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.