You see a page from the old site of Iran International that is no longer updated. Visit iranintl.com to view the new site.

United States sanctions Ali Khamenei's son and inner circle

On the 40th anniversary of the occupation of the US embassy in Tehran and the hostage crisis, US treasury sanctioned nine individuals in the inner circle of the leader of the Islamic Republic, including his son, Mojtaba Khamenei. The General Staff of the Joint Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran has also been added to the list of sanctions.

The new list of US sanctions has included:

  • Mojtaba Khamenei, the leader’s son
  •  Mohammad Mohammadi Golpaygani, the leader’s chief of staff
  •  Ali Akbar Velayati, Khamenei’s international affairs adviser
  •  and Vahid Haghanian, deputy of special affairs at the office of the leader also referred to as Khamenei’s right hand
  •  Ebrahim Raisi, the recently appointed chief of the judiciary
  •  Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, Khamenei’s friend and relative and former speaker of the parliament
  •  Mohammad Bagheri, the chairman of General Staff of the Joint Armed forces
  •  Two IRGC commanders Gholam-Ali Rashid and Hossein Dehghan

The US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a statement: “Today the Treasury Department is targeting the unelected officials who surround Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and implement his destabilizing policies.”

"These individuals are linked to a wide range of malign behaviors by the regime, including bombings of the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut in 1983 and the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association in 1994, as well as torture, extrajudicial killings, and repression of civilians," Mnuchin added.

The White House released a statement on Monday warning that as long as the Islamic Republic continues its behavior, the United States will increase sanctions against Iran.

The statement, released on the anniversary of the attack on the American embassy which led to 444 days of the hostage crisis, continues: “Today, we honor the victims of this brazen act. The Iranian regime continues to target innocent civilians for use as pawns in its failed foreign relations."

Iran in Brief
City officials in Iran's capital Tehran are planning to put locks on large waste containers in the streets to prevent garbage pickers from accessing waste.More
The Biden Administration has confirmed to the US Congress that sanction imposed by its predecessor on Iran have drastically reduced Iran's trade with the world.More
The UK government said on Sept 20 that Britain would "not rest" until all its dual nationals being held in Iran were returned home.More
President Ebrahim Raisi’s vice president in women’s affairs has refused to support an age limit in child marriage, a controversial issue in Iran.More
In first news about detained Iranian dissident rap singer Toomaj, Iran International has learned that was arrested by the intelligence ministry.More