The United States has unveiled a sweeping new round of sanctions against senior Iranian security officials and international financial networks, escalating pressure on Tehran as the country grapples with its most severe wave of unrest in years. Announced on January 15 by the US Treasury Department, the measures target individuals accused of directing a violent crackdown on anti-government protests, as well as entities allegedly involved in laundering billions of dollars in Iranian oil revenue through front companies abroad.

According to a statement from the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the sanctions are designed to hold accountable those responsible for human rights abuses and to disrupt financial mechanisms that sustain the Iranian state amid international isolation. At the center of the new designations is Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, a powerful body that coordinates national defense and internal security policy. US officials accuse Larijani of leading and endorsing calls for violence against demonstrators as protests spread across the country.

In addition to Larijani, OFAC designated four regional commanders from Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). These commanders are alleged to have overseen security operations in Lorestan and Fars provinces, areas where US officials say Iranian forces used live ammunition and other lethal measures against civilians. The IRGC, which has long been under US sanctions, plays a central role in both domestic repression and Iran’s regional military posture, making its commanders frequent targets of........

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