Iran has strongly denounced Western nations, particularly the United States, for what it terms an “illegal” decision to impose fresh sanctions on the Islamic republic. The United States, along with Britain and the European Union, unveiled new sanctions targeting multiple Iranian individuals and entities on Friday, coinciding with the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s tragic death while in police custody.
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, passed away on September 16, 2022, following her arrest in Tehran for an alleged violation of Iran’s strict dress code for women.
Nasser Kanani, the spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, issued a statement late Friday, condemning the Western countries’ actions as “illegal and undiplomatic.” Kanani also criticized what he referred to as “interventionist actions, statements, and hypocritical displays of support for the protest movement.”
He cautioned European diplomats against engaging in such “unconstructive behavior” that he argued “does not serve their interests.”
The sanctions imposed by the United States on Friday targeted 25 Iranian officials, three media outlets, and an internet censorship firm, all allegedly linked to Tehran’s suppression of protests that erupted following Amini’s death. Most of the sanctioned individuals were regional commanders of the national police force and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Gholamali Mohammadi, the head of Iran’s Prisons Organization, was also sanctioned, with the U.S. Treasury alleging his involvement in severe human rights abuses, including torture and rape. Furthermore, three media outlets—Press TV, Tasnim, and Fars news agencies, all state-controlled—were added to the blacklist.
Britain’s sanctions included Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili, his deputy Mohammad Hashemi, Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani, and Iranian police spokesman Saeed Montazer Almehdi.
The European Union supplemented its own blacklist with four Iranian officials, including a Revolutionary Guards commander, two regional police chiefs, and the head of a prison. These sanctions were also coordinated with Canada and Australia.
The protests that followed Amini’s death last year resulted in hundreds of casualties, including dozens of security forces, and the detention of thousands of individuals, all labeled as participants in “riots” incited by foreign governments, according to Tehran.
Sources By Agencies
