US sanctions Iran's interior minister and several other individuals
Photo: Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni (Getty Images)
The United States has announced sanctions against Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and several other individuals, according to the press service of the US Department of the Treasury.
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced new sanctions against Iran in connection with the bloody crackdown on protests.
The sanctions target the interior minister as well as five other officials from Iran’s security forces.
The list also includes investor Babak Morteza Zanjani, whom the United States considers responsible for laundering money on behalf of the Iranian regime.
In addition, two digital asset exchanges were placed under sanctions. According to the US, large volumes of funds linked to individuals close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps passed through these platforms.
Protests in Iran
It should be recalled that since late 2025, large-scale anti-government protests have been ongoing in Iran. They began in Tehran among business owners dissatisfied with the economic situation and the depreciation of the national currency against the US dollar.
Cities previously considered loyal to the regime, including Qom in the central part of the country and Mashhad in the northeast, have also joined the protests.
US President Donald Trump has publicly urged Iranians to continue anti-government demonstrations, to "seize institutions", and said that assistance to protesters is "already on the way".
In addition, he promised to take "very strong actions" if Iranian authorities begin executing participants in the protests.
Trump has also called for an end to Iran’s ayatollah regime amid the bloody suppression of mass protests in the country. He said it was necessary to "look for a new leadership".
The American president also said that the United States is sending a large flotilla toward Iran.
Earlier, Trump said Iran was allegedly "wants to make a deal" and threatened Tehran with large-scale attacks if it does not agree. Iranian officials denied any "desire for a deal" and said the military is allegedly ready to respond "immediately and decisively" to any aggression on land, in the air, or at sea.
It was also reported that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi plans to visit Turkey on January 30 in an attempt to prevent US strikes on Iran.
In recent days, media outlets reported that Trump had been presented with several expanded scenarios for strikes against Iran, including a ground invasion.
