US slaps crushing sanctions on Iran’s Interior Minister, EU declares IRGC a terror group

In a statement, the US Treasury Department said Eskandar Momeni Kalagari oversees the “murderous Law Enforcement Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (LEF),” a key entity allegedly responsible for the deaths of thousands of peaceful protesters.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also designated Babak Morteza Zanjani, described as a criminal Iranian investor who previously embezzled billions of dollars in Iranian oil revenues that rightfully belonged to the Iranian people and were never fully recovered.

According to the Treasury Department, after being released from imprisonment to launder money for the regime, Zanjani has provided financial backing for major projects supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the broader Iranian regime.

Additionally, for the first time, OFAC designated two digital asset exchanges linked to Zanjani that have processed large volumes of funds associated with IRGC-linked counterparties. This marks OFAC’s first designation of a digital asset exchange for operating within the financial sector of the Iranian economy.

“Rather than build a prosperous Iran, the regime has chosen to squander what remains of the nation’s oil revenues on nuclear weapons development, missiles, and terrorist proxies around the world,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Bessent added, “President Trump stands with the people of Iran and has directed Treasury to sanction members of the regime. Treasury will continue to target Iranian networks and corrupt elites that enrich themselves at the expense of the Iranian people. This includes the regime’s attempts to exploit digital assets to evade sanctions and finance cybercriminal operations. Like rats on a sinking ship, the regime is frantically wiring funds stolen from Iranian families to banks and financial institutions around the world. Rest assured, Treasury will act.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

Meanwhile, the European Union has formally added Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its list of terrorist organisations, marking a significant escalation in Brussels’ response to Tehran’s violent suppression of anti-government protests.

The move follows weeks of unrest in Iran, during which human rights groups say security forces, including the IRGC, killed thousands of demonstrators.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the designation was unavoidable, declaring that “repression cannot go unanswered.”

By blacklisting the IRGC, the EU places Iran’s most powerful military force in the same category as extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.