US imposes sanctions on Iran over crackdown on protesters

US sanctions Iran’s security council secretary, IRGC commanders, and law enforcement officials

The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials accused of being behind the crackdown on protests and said it was tracking Iranian leaders’ funds being wired to international banks, as President Donald Trump maintains pressure on Tehran.

The US Treasury Department said it sanctioned the Secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security, as well as commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and law enforcement forces, accusing them of orchestrating the crackdown.

The US also imposed sanctions on Fardis Prison, where the State Department said women had "endured cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment."

Read More: Trump sees Iranian crackdown easing, Tehran denies man to be executed

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a video: "US Treasury knows, that like rats on a sinking ship, you are frantically wiring funds stolen from Iranian families to banks and financial institutions around the world. Rest assured, we will track them and you. But there’s still time, if you choose to join us. As President Trump has said, stop the violence and stand with the people of Iran."

The United States stands firmly behind the Iranian people in their call for freedom and justice.

At the direction of President Trump, the Treasury Department is sanctioning key Iranian leaders involved in the brutal crackdown against the Iranian people. Treasury will use every… pic.twitter.com/27Rt8ajWu1

— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) January 15, 2026

US stands behind Iranian people, Bessent says

Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Iranian rulers have blamed the US and Israel for fomenting unrest.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the government was working to address economic problems that sparked the protests, including tackling corruption and foreign exchange issues, which would improve purchasing power for poorer citizens.

People walk past closed shops, following protests over a plunge in the currency's value, in the Tehran Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, January 15, 2026. PHOTO: WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

The unrest began with protests over soaring prices and has become one of the biggest challenges to the clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The US.-based HRANA rights group has verified 2,435 protesters and 153 government-affiliated deaths so far.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene on behalf of protesters. "The United States stands firmly behind the Iranian people in their call for freedom and justice," Bessent said. "Treasury will use every tool to target those behind the regime’s tyrannical oppression of human rights."

Also Read: Rising prices, falling currency: Iran’s economy faces rocky road

Sanctions on shadow banking networks

The Treasury also sanctioned 18 individuals accused of laundering proceeds from Iranian petroleum and petrochemical sales through foreign markets as part of "shadow banking" networks of sanctioned Iranian financial institutions.

Thursday’s action is the latest in Trump’s "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran, which seeks to drive oil exports to zero and prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.