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LAST UPDATE | 15 Jan
THE UNITED STATES has imposed fresh sanctions on Iranian security officials and financial networks accused of orchestrating a brutal crackdown on nationwide protests, as Tehran insisted there would be “no hanging today or tomorrow” despite earlier threats of fast-tracked executions.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the measures at the direction of President Donald Trump, saying Washington stood “firmly behind the Iranian people in their call for freedom and justice”.
The sanctions target senior security figures, including Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for National Security, whom the US accused of coordinating the use of force against protesters.
Four regional commanders from Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces and Revolutionary Guard were also sanctioned over their roles in deadly crackdowns in Lorestan and Fars provinces.
The Treasury said security forces in Fars had killed “countless peaceful demonstrators”, leaving hospitals so overwhelmed by gunshot victims that other patients could not be treated.
In addition, 18 individuals and entities were designated for operating so-called “shadow banking” networks accused of laundering billions of dollars in Iranian oil revenues through front companies in the UAE, Singapore and Britain.
The sanctions freeze US-based assets and bar Americans from doing business with those listed, while foreign banks risk secondary sanctions.
The move comes amid the largest anti-government protests in the history of the Islamic republic, although demonstrations appear to have diminished in recent days in the face of mass arrests and an almost week-long internet blackout.
Speaking to Fox News last night, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi sought to play down fears of imminent executions, saying claims that protesters would be hanged were part of a “misinformation campaign”.
“There will be no hanging today or tomorrow,” he said, insisting that executing protesters was “out of the question”.
Araghchi claimed ten days of protests over Iran’s economy had been hijacked by external “elements” who wanted to provoke Trump into launching a new war against Iran.
He accused Israel of orchestrating violence and spreading false information, but offered no evidence.
“Everything is calm,” Araghchi said, claiming there had been no unrest for four days and that people were now on the streets “in support of the Islamic republic” following what he described as three days of “terrorist operations”.
Earlier threats by Iranian authorities to fast-track trials for protesters had raised fears of mass executions, prompting warnings from Washington and rights groups.
This morning, Iran’s judiciary said an Iranian man arrested during the protests — Erfan Soltani, held in Karaj outside Tehran — has not been sentenced to death and is not facing charges carrying the death penalty.
State television reported he faces charges of propaganda against the Islamic system and acting against national security, which carry prison terms if proven.
Donald Trump has warned Iran would face “very strong action” if protesters were executed.
Speaking from the Oval Office yesterday, he said he had received assurances from unnamed “very important sources on the other side” that killings had stopped and that planned executions would not go ahead.
“They’ve said the killing has stopped and the executions won’t take place,” Trump said, adding that the US was still seeking to verify the claims.
Asked whether military action was now off the table, he replied: “We’re going to watch it and see what the process is.”
Amid rising tensions, the United Nations Security Council is due to meet today for a briefing on the situation in Iran at the request of the US.
The United Kingdom has temporarily closed its embassy in Tehran, while both Britain and the US are reducing personnel at the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar.
Ireland is also reviewing the presence of its staff in Iran. A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said last night that the government is “keeping the presence of Irish staff in Iran under review”.
Irish diplomats have previously been evacuated during periods of heightened risk, most recently during the 11-day Iran–Israel war in June.
Rights groups say the scale of violence has been severe. Norway-based Iran Human Rights estimates at least 3,428 protesters have been killed and more than 10,000 arrested.
G7 nations said they were “deeply alarmed” by reports of deaths and injuries and warned of further sanctions if the crackdown continues.
Despite a 144-hour internet blackout monitored by NetBlocks, new footage verified by AFP showed bodies lined up in the Kahrizak morgue south of Tehran, wrapped in black bags as relatives searched for missing family members.
The US-based Institute for the Study of War said Iranian authorities were using “an unprecedented level of brutality” to suppress dissent, even as visible protest activity has sharply declined.
Iranian prosecutors have said some detainees could face capital charges of “waging war against God”, while state media has reported hundreds of arrests and the detention of a foreign national on espionage charges.
With reporting from © AFP 2026
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