US imposes sanctions on Iran over crackdown

WASHINGTON:

The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials it 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 keeps the pressure on Tehran.

The US Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on the secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security as well as Islamic Revolutionary Guard corps and law enforcement forces commanders, accusing them of being architects of the crackdown.

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

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a video on Thursday said Washington's message to Iran's leaders was clear: "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."

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi "seems very nice" but expressed uncertainty over whether Pahlavi would be able to muster support within Iran to eventually take over.

In an exclusive Reuters interview in the Oval Office, Trump said there was a chance Iran's government could collapse and blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the stalemate in negotiations with Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran. But he was reluctant on Wednesday to lend his full support to Pahlavi, the son of the late shah of Iran, who was ousted from power in 1979.

"He seems very nice, but I don't know how he'd play within his own country," Trump said. "And we really aren't up to that point yet. I don't know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me."

Trump's comments went further in questioning Pahlavi's ability to lead Iran, after he said last week that he had no plans to meet with him.

Opposition Fragmented

Trump said it is possible the government in Tehran could fall due to the protests but that in truth "any regime can fail".

"Whether or not it falls or not, it's going to be an interesting period of time," he said.

Trump, who is closing out the first year of his second term in office, sat behind his massive Resolute Desk and sipped a Diet Coke during the 30-minute interview. At one point, he held up a thick binder of papers, which he said contained his achievements since being sworn into office on January 20, 2025.

But he sought to manage expectations for Republicans in November's congressional midterm elections, noting that the party in power frequently loses seats two years after a presidential election.

"When you win the presidency, you don't win the midterms," he said. "But we're going to try very hard to win the midterms."

'Zelensky' main impediment to reaching a deal

Trump, who has struggled throughout his presidency to end Russia's war in Ukraine despite campaign boasts that he could end it in a day, said Zelensky is the main impediment to resolving the four-year-old war.

Trump has frequently criticised both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky but seemed more downbeat once again on the Ukrainian president.

Trump said Putin was "ready to make a deal." Asked what the holdup is, Trump said simply: "Zelensky." "We have to get President Zelensky to go along with it," he said.

Trump is to meet on Thursday with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the White House, their first in-person meeting since Trump directed the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and seized control of the country earlier this month.

"She's a very nice woman," Trump said of Machado. "I've seen her on television. I think we're just going to talk basics."

Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize last year and dedicated it to Trump. She has offered to give him her prize, but the Nobel Committee said the peace prize cannot be transferred.

He praised the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, who was vice president to Maduro when he was ousted. Trump said he had a "fascinating talk" with Rodriguez earlier on Wednesday and "she's been very good to deal with."

Trump frequently extolled the strength of the US economy during the interview despite lingering worries among Americans about prices. He said he will carry that message with him next week to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he will stress "how great our economy is, how strong our job numbers are, how good we're doing."