Amid High Tensions, US Sanctions Iran's Top Officials Over Protest Crackdown

The United States on Friday announced sanctions against Iran's interior minister and other officials, following the deadly crackdown on anti-government protests in the country in recent weeks.

Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni "oversees the murderous Law Enforcement Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (LEF), a key entity responsible for the deaths of thousands of peaceful protesters," the US Treasury Department said in a statement about the measures.

Those sanctioned also included several high-ranking officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as Iranian investor Babak Morteza Zanjani, who stands accused of having "embezzled billions in funds from the Iranian people."

In a first, Treasury also announced sanctions against digital currency exchanges linked to Zanjani "that have processed large volumes of funds associated with IRGC-linked counterparties."

The European Union on Thursday designated the Revolutionary Guards as a "terrorist organization," adopting visa bans and asset freezes on a number of Iranian state entities and officials. 

The United States, which already has harsh sanctions against Iran in place, "supports the Iranian people in their protests against the corrupt and repressive regime in Tehran," the agency added.

When an individual or entity comes under US sanctions, assets held in the United States are frozen.

Sanctions also prohibit US companies and citizens from doing business with them, at the risk of being subject to sanctions themselves.

Iranian authorities acknowledge that thousands were killed during the recent protests, giving a toll of more than 3,000 deaths, but say the majority were members of the security forces or bystanders killed by "rioters." 

But rights groups warn the toll is likely far higher, with estimates in the tens of thousands. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)