New Zealand slaps 40 Iran officials with sanctions over protest crackdown

New Zealand is the latest country after Australia, the United States, Germany and others to sanction Iran over the crackdown.

Beatrice Farhat

Feb 25, 2026

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New Zealand on Wednesday imposed sanctions on dozens of Iranian ministers and officials over their alleged role in the violent crackdown launched last month by Iranian authorities against anti-regime protests.

What happened: The sanctions include travel bans on 40 officials allegedly responsible for human rights abuses in Iran, including Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, Prosecutor-General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, as well as members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced in a press release.

“It has been horrifying to witness the brutal killing of thousands of protesters in Iran,” Peters said. “Iranians have the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and access to information. Those rights have been ruthlessly violated.”

The travel ban also targets three Iranian individuals believed to be involved in Iran’s “malign activity abroad.”

“Iran’s........

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