US sanctions 3 Iranian security officials over crackdown on protesters

WASHINGTON (AA) – The US has sanctioned three Iranian security officials for the ongoing crackdown on protests that were sparked by the killing of Mahsa Amini in September.

The blacklistings include officials who are overseeing a “particularly severe security response” in two predominantly Kurdish cities, Sanandaj and Mahabad, the Treasury Department said in a statement.

They include Sanandaj Gov. Hassan Asgari, and Alireza Moradi, the head of the Law Enforcement Forces in the city.

Moradi led the effort to crack down on protests in the city, and Asgari attempted to blame the death of a protester on a drug overdose, said the Treasury Department.

Mohammad Taghi Osanloo, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Ground Forces commander for Iran’s West Azerbaijan province, which includes the city of Mahabad, was also sanctioned. The agency said West Azerbaijan province is one of the corps’ “most important commands.”

Iran has been roiled by deadly protests since September after the death of Amini at the age of 22, who was arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code.

Amini died in police custody with the government blaming her death on a health condition, an explanation that has been roundly rejected by her family and demonstrators who say she was murdered by police.