UK Says Over 40 Iranian Officials Sanctioned In Past Three Months

British Secretary of State James Cleverly says his country has sanctioned more than 40 officials of the Islamic Republic since the beginning of the protests in Iran.

UK’s foreign policy chief said in a tweet on Friday that “Three months ago today, Mahsa Amini died after her arrest by Iran’s 'Morality Police'. Since then, we've sanctioned over 40 Iranian officials.”

He further added that in total, the UK has sanctioned over 300 people and entities, including the IRGC in its entirety.

Nationwide protests that erupted after the death in police custody of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini on September 16 have posed one of the biggest challenges to the Islamic Republic since its establishment in 1979.

Britain announced sanctions December 9 against 30 people worldwide, including Iranian officials, for serious rights violations, such as the violence on protesters.

Iran executed the first detained protester December 8 after a sham trial, sparking worldwide outrage and condemnations. The execution is seen as part of a government strategy to intimidate ordinary people and activists from pursuing the almost three-month-old antigovernment protests movement.

In mid-November, Britain had slapped a new round of sanctions on 24 Iranian officials who played a role in cracking down on protests.

In a press release the United Kingdom announced that the “sanctions target officials within the Iranian regime who are responsible for heinous human rights violations.”