The United States slapped fresh sanctions on a dozen Iranian officials and entities for “serious” human rights abuses Tuesday, ahead of the expected resumption of nuclear talks with Tehran after they halted last week without any concrete progress.
The sanctions announced by the Treasury and State Department targeted government officials and organizations involved in the repression of protesters and political activists, and prisons where activists have been held in brutal conditions.
The Treasury also placed several Syrian officials on its sanctions blacklist for their roles in political repression and chemical gas attacks, and Uganda s military intelligence chief was hit with sanctions for extreme abuse of people arrested for their nationality or political beliefs.
The announcement came ahead of the Washington-hosted Summit for Democracy later this week, billed as a push to promote more free and open societies.
“The United States is committed to promoting democracy and accountability for those who abuse human rights around the world,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement.
“The United States will utilize its full range of tools to highlight and disrupt these abuses of human rights,” he said.
The Iranian sanctions singled out officials and entities involved in brutal crackdowns on protests in 2009 and 2019, including Hassan Karami, the commander of the LEF Special Units, which are focused on crowd control and protest suppression, the Treasury said.—Agencies
