The US Treasury Department announced tonight (Tuesday) new sanctions against the commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Basij force, Golmarza Suleimani, in a clear move against Iran, less than a day before the resumption of nuclear talks in Vienna.
The announcement of the sanctions against Suleimani was received from the US Treasury Department along with a series of sanctions on senior officials in Syria and Uganda, due to human rights violations.
"The Ministry of Finance will continue to protect humanity from authoritarianism and will act passionately to pursue a channel of violent repression of human beings seeking to uphold their human rights and fundamental freedoms," the statement said.
The reason for the sanctions is Suleimani's responsibility for the killing of more than 1,500 protesters in recent years.
The Basij militia headed by Suleimani is a force made up of volunteers in the Revolutionary Guards service and is used to violently suppress demonstrations, to interrogate under harsh pressure and torture and to spy on opponents of the regime.
About two weeks ago, the Basij people suppressed protests over the rationing of water in the city of Isfahan and stopped and beat hundreds of protesters.
Iran has reacted angrily to the sanctions.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Said Khatibzadeh said: "This declaration by the United States is the complete opposite of expressing goodwill or seriousness. Washington did not understand that the 'maximum pressure' strategy has failed and is quite the opposite of a breakthrough in talks."
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us