The United States has imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran in response to the regime's violent crackdown on widespread protests. These measures target senior security officials, a notorious prison, and an extensive network of front companies involved in laundering billions from oil and petrochemical sales.

Announced on Thursday by the State Department and the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the sanctions aim to dismantle the financial machinery sustaining Iran's repression.

US officials describe the sanctioned individuals as the "architects" of the brutal response to peaceful demonstrators. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasised that the actions, directed by President Trump, seek to sanction key Iranian leaders behind the oppression of human rights. "This is about standing with the Iranian people," Bessent stated, underscoring the Treasury's commitment to deploying every available tool against the regime's tyranny.

At the heart of the sanctions is Fardis Prison, designated for subjecting women and other detainees to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. This designation freezes any assets under US jurisdiction linked to the facility and prohibits Americans from engaging in transactions involving it. The move highlights the US focus on institutions central to Iran's abusive practices.

Several high-ranking security officials face designation, including Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme Council for National Security. US authorities accuse Larijani of coordinating the protest response that erupted in December 2025, notably as one of the first leaders to advocate force against demonstrators. Provincial commanders such as Mohammad Reza Hashemifar and Nematollah Bagheri in Lorestan Province, along with Azizollah Maleki and Yadollah Buali in Fars Province, are also targeted.

These officials allegedly oversaw lethal crackdowns, including the killing of numerous protesters and the withholding of bodies to extract false testimonies from families on state television. Protests, fuelled by economic hardship, inflation, and political repression, have spread across multiple provinces. Iran's security forces have reportedly fired live ammunition at crowds and assaulted wounded protesters in hospitals.

A stark example occurred in Ilam Province, where Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) elements allegedly deployed tear gas and metal pellets into hospital grounds, attacking patients, families, and medical staff. Such incidents underscore the regime's escalating violence amid ongoing unrest.

Beyond personnel, the sanctions strike at Iran's "shadow banking" networks—clandestine systems of front companies and foreign exchange houses evading prior restrictions. OFAC has designated 18 individuals and entities that facilitate tens of billions in annual trade, diverting funds from the public to domestic repression and foreign militancy.

State-linked Bank Melli emerges as a primary hub, operating through "rahbar" companies that manage international transactions via cover firms in various jurisdictions. Key players include Iran-based Nikan Pezhvak Aria Kish Company, UAE-based Empire International Trading FZE, and Singapore-based Golden Mist PTE. Ltd., which have routed millions in oil revenue since 2024.

Treasury reports that Bank Melli's network has processed billions for entities like the National Iranian Oil Company, the IRGC, and Iran's Central Bank, often using falsified invoices and multi-jurisdictional transfers to obscure origins. Shahr Bank operates a parallel scheme via UAE-based HMS Trading FZE and Iran-based Tejarat Hermes Energy Qeshm, alongside Gulf and European fronts, facilitating tens of millions in oil payments to Asia.

Under US law, sanctioned parties face frozen assets and property interests within US jurisdiction, with US persons barred from dealings. Foreign firms and banks risking business with them could incur penalties, amplifying global compliance pressures.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott affirmed the sanctions' intent: to deny the regime access to financial networks and the global banking system amid its oppression of Iranians. "The United States stands with the Iranian people, who are protesting for their natural rights," Pigott added, criticising Tehran's funding of destabilising activities over public welfare.

The measures invoke executive orders and laws targeting human rights abuses, Iran's leadership, energy, and financial sectors, advancing the administration's National Security Presidential Memorandum-2. This forms part of a "maximum economic pressure" campaign.

US officials maintain that the goal transcends punishment, aiming for behavioural change. Yet, with protests persisting and Tehran unyielding, these actions signal Washington's readiness to intensify economic and diplomatic pressure alongside Iran's street-level turmoil. The sanctions could reshape Iran's financial evasion tactics, testing the regime's resilience amid domestic fury.

Agencies