US sanctions Iran's top officials over 'ruthless crackdown' on anti-hijab protestors

The United States has imposed sanctions on top Iranian officials, including the prosecutor general and key military officials, over the Iranian authorities' brutal crackdown on the anti-hijab protestors. In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that in view of "ruthless crackdowns on peaceful protestors", the US has decided to impose sanctions on "five Iranian officials and one entity, pursuant to Executive Order 13553" for violating serious human rights law.

As per the statement released by the US, Iranian officials who have been sanctioned by the US include: Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Prosecutor-General of Iran; Moslem Moein, the chief of the Basij Cyberspace Headquarters; Hassan Hassanzadeh, the commander of IRGC forces in Tehran; Seyed Sadegh Hosseini, the commander of the IRGC’s Beit-al Moghadas Corps of Kurdistan Province; and Hossein Maroufi, the Deputy Coordinator of the Basij.

US calls Iran to 'immediately cease' the crackdown on 'peaceful' protestors

The US has also sanctioned the Imen Sanat Zaman Fara Company, which is an Iranian manufacturer of armoured vehicles, tactical gear, and other materials that are actively used by the Iranian Law Enforcement Forces and other Iranian security forces in protest suppression.

"We again call on Iran's leadership to immediately cease its violent crackdown and to listen to its people. We will continue to promote accountability for those involved as we support the Iranian people," Blinken said.

Iran Nuclear Agreement is "dead", says Joe Biden | WATCH

Meanwhile, a visual is widely circulated on social media platforms, showing Biden speaking about the stalled Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) struck in 2015 between Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, the US, and the EU. The undated video shows Biden speaking to a crowd, where he is heard saying that the nuclear deal with Iran is "dead," but he would not announce that publicly.

According to media reports, the video was recorded on November 3 during Biden's visit to California. A woman in the clip is heard asking, "President Biden, could you please announce that the JCPOA is dead?" To this, Biden responded, saying, "It is dead, but we are not going to announce it." "Long story," he added. The woman and others present at the scene urged Biden not to make deals with the Iranian government. "They don't represent us," she said. "They are not our government," another added.

Image: AP