US sanctions Iran’s prosecutor general over protests

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iran’s prosecutor general and some military officials as well as a vehicle manufacturing company over the latest deadly protests in the country. 

“Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is targeting the Prosecutor General and key military and paramilitary officials in Iran, as well as a company manufacturing and providing Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces with anti-riot equipment,” said the Department in a statement.  

The Department accuses Iran’s prosecutor general, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, of being responsible for human rights violations against protesters. 

Protests broke out across Iran on September 16 over the death of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini while in police custody in Tehran. The Kurdish areas of the country have been the epicentre of the protest movement.

“Iranian authorities have killed hundreds of peaceful protestors, including children, issued harsh sentences, including the death penalty following sham trials, and detained thousands. Today, we are sanctioning Iranian officials and an Iranian entity connected to these abuses,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a tweet.