Between 2018 and 2021, the Trump administration imposed more than 1,500 sanctions on Iran or on foreign companies or individuals who did business with Iran. They targeted big institutions, such as the supreme leader’s office, the Revolutionary Guards and the Central Bank, as well as individuals. Among those sanctions were government and judicial officials, members of the military and proxy militias, scientists and manufacturers of military equipment, banks and businesses, foundations, and shipping and trading companies. The sanctions were a key component of Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign after he withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Sanctions were associated with one or more of five issues:
- Its controversial nuclear program
- Development and testing of ballistic missiles
- Intervention in the region and support for extremist proxy militias
- Cyber attacks
- Human rights abuses
Many of the sanctions had originally been imposed by the Obama administration to get Iran to curtail its nuclear program and begin diplomacy; Obama lifted the sanctions after the nuclear deal was formally implemented—after two years of intense diplomacy—in January 2016. Trump reimposed most of the former sanctions in 2018, then subsequently added new ones.
The sanctions were imposed by the Treasury or State Department or in five new presidential executive orders issued by the White House. The following is a rundown of the Trump administration sanctions issued between 2018 and 2021, divided by category.
Related Material:
- Sanctions 1: Impact of Iran's Oil Exports
- Sanctions 2: What Iran Wants Lifted
- Sanctions 3: Iran's Economy in 2020
- Sanctions 4: The "Chilling Effect" of U.S. Sanctions on Iran
- Sanctions 6: U.S. Sanctions Many Iran Proxies
- Sanctions 7: Iran’s Economy by the Numbers
- Sanctions 8: Timeline of Sanctions
Nuclear Sanctions
President Trump signed an executive order reimposing sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. The first wave of sanctions targeted Iran’s trade in gold, industrial metals, automotive sector and foreign currency assets.
August 6, 2018: Iran’s trade in gold and other precious metals
Other: Graphite, aluminum, steel, coal, and software used in industrial processes
Transactions related to the Iranian rial
Activities relating to Iran’s issuance of sovereign debt
Iran’s automotive sector
The Treasury reimposed the remaining sanctions on Iran that had been lifted or waived in January 2016. The sanctions targeted Iran’s banking, shipping and aviation industries. The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned more than 700 individuals, entities, aircraft, and vessels – its largest single-day action targeting Iran.
November 5, 2018: The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and 23 subsidiaries
Other: The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, 65 subsidiaries and 122 vessels
The National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC)
Fifty banks and their subsidiaries
Nearly 250 Specially Designated Nationals and property
More than 200 persons and vessels in the energy and shipping sectors
The Treasury sanctioned seven companies, four men and one woman linked to an international procurement network for Iran’s nuclear program. The companies and persons were based in Iran, Belgium and China.
July 18, 2019: Three Iranian men and one Iranian woman
Other: Two companies based in Iran
One Belgian engineer and one company based in Belgium
Four companies based in China
The Treasury sanctioned scientists, procurement agents, and technical experts supporting Iran’s nuclear program. It also sanctioned companies and research centers linked to Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, a Defense Ministry subsidiary led by leading nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
March 22, 2019: Fourteen Iranian nationals
Other: Seventeen companies and research centers based in Iran
The State Department designated the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and its leader, Ali Akbar Salehi, as Weapons of Mass Destruction proliferators.
January 31, 2020: The AEOI and its head, Ali Akbar Salehi
The State Department sanctioned a petrochemical smuggling network for supporting Iran’s nuclear program. The Department of Commerce also designated 18 corporations and six individuals, including five Iranian nuclear scientists.
March 17, 2020: Five Iranian nuclear scientists
Other: Two companies based in Iran
Two companies based in South Africa
Six companies based in China
Nine companies in Pakistan
Five companies in the UAE
The Trump administration formally reimposed U.N. sanctions on Iran that had been lifted as part of the 2015 nuclear deal. The U.S. would reenact five sets of U.N. sanctions from 2006 through 2010: resolutions 1696, 1737, 1747, 1803, and 1929. The Departments of State, Treasury, and Commerce also announced additional sanctions on Iran’s conventional arms, nuclear and missile programs.
September 21, 2020: Eight Iranian government agencies
Other: Eleven Iranian men
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
Missile Sanctions
The Treasury sanctioned Iranian officials who had provided ballistic missile expertise and weapons transfers to the Houthis in Yemen.
May 22, 2018: Three Revolutionary Guards and two other Iranian men
The Treasury sanctioned two missile procurement networks linked to the Iranian regime and its military organizations.
August 28, 2019: Five Iranian businessmen and five companies based in Iran
Other: One company based in Hong Kong
The State Department designated Iran’s civilian space agency and its research centers for developing technology that could be used to launch ballistic missiles.
September 3, 2019: Three Iranian government agencies
The State Department designated Iranian transportation companies for importing weapons of mass destruction, including materials for ballistic missiles. The Treasury also sanctioned an Iranian shipping network and sales agents for Mahan Air to prevent Iran from delivering weapons to the Houthis in Yemen.
December 11, 2019: One Iranian businessman and three companies based in Iran
Other: One company based in Shanghai
Two companies based in Dubai
One company based in Hong Kong
The Treasury sanctioned senior Iranian officials and Iran’s metal industry for involvement in ballistic missile strikes.
January 10, 2020: Eight security officials and 17 companies based in Iran
Other: One company based in the Seychelles
Two companies based in China
The Treasury announced sanctions in December 2019 on Iranian companies for transporting ballistic missile components. The sanctions were postponed for 180 days (until June 2020) to give shippers of humanitarian goods time to find alternate transportation methods.
June 8, 2020: One Iranian businessman and three companies based in Iran
Other: One company based in Shanghai
Two companies based in Dubai
One company based in Hong Kong
The State Department expanded sanctions on metals used in Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Any person or entity involved in the transfer of the listed metals to or from Iran was officially sanctionable.
July 30, 2020: Twenty-two metals, including aluminum, steel and copper
The State Department sanctioned Chinese companies and businessmen for doing business with companies owned or controlled by Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL). Iran’s national shipping company and its Shanghai-based subsidiary, E-Sail Shipping Company Ltd, had previously been sanctioned for transporting items related to Iran’s ballistic missile and military programs.
October 19, 2020: Two Chinese businessmen and six companies based in China
The State Department sanctioned Chinese and Russian companies for supporting Iran’s missile program.
November 27, 2020: Two companies based in China
Other: Two companies based in Russia
The Treasury sanctioned Shahid Meisami Group and its director pursuant for its involvement in chemical weapons research and connection to weapons proliferation.
December 3, 2020: One Iranian company and its chief executive
The State Department expanded further the listed of metals prohibited for use in Iran’s nuclear, military and ballistic missile programs. Those who trade the listed metals became sanctionable pursuant to Section 1245 of the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act.
January 15, 2021: Fifteen metals, including seven types of aluminum, six types of steel and two types of zirconium
Terrorism Sanctions (on banks and businesses)
The Treasury sanctioned senior officials associated with the Central Bank of Iran as Specially Designated Terrorists (SDGTs) for their roles in moving funds to Hezbollah on behalf of the Qods Force. The Treasury also targeted the Iraq-based Al Bilad Islamic Bank and its chairman for assisting the Qods Force.
May 15, 2018: Two Central Bank of Iran officials
Other: One Iraqi bank and its chairman
One Lebanese Hezbollah official
The Treasury sanctioned a network of 20 businesses for providing financial support to the Basij Resistance Force, a paramilitary under the Revolutionary Guards. The groups were designated as SDGTs.
October 16, 2018: one conglomerate, nine banks and five companies based in Iran
The Treasury sanctioned the Iran’s central bank and sovereign wealth fund for providing financial support to the Qods Force and Hezbollah. The sanctions were levied under Treasury’s counterterrorism authorities. It also sanctioned Etemad Tejarate Pars Co., which allegedly concealed financial transfers for military purchases.
September 20, 2019: The Central Bank of Iran and the National Development Fund
Other: One company based in Iran
The Treasury sanctioned major Iranian banks to stop illicit access to U.S. dollars. One was affiliated with the military. Most Iranian banks, including the Central Bank that facilitates trade and regulates currency, were already sanctioned.
October 8, 2020: Eighteen banks based in Iran
Terrorism Sanctions (related to the oil industry)
The Treasury sanctioned the Iranian oil tanker, the Adrian Darya-1, which it accused of transporting 2.1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil on behalf of the IRGC. Treasury also designated the ship’s captain, Akhilesh Kumar, for providing support to a terrorist organization.
September 3, 2019: One Iranian tanker and its captain
The Treasury designated an “oil for terror” network accused of aiding the IRGC in funding its terrorist operations. The network consisted of 25 entities and individuals and 11 vessels involved in hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit oil sales.
September 4, 2019: Two IRGC officials and five associates
Other: One Iranian shipping company
Five shipping companies overseen by Hezbollah
Eight subsidiaries of a shipping company based in India
Three shipping company employees
The Treasury sanctioned Chinese companies and executives accused of importing oil from Iran.
September 25, 2019: Five Chinese business executives
Other: Five companies based in China
One company based in the Virgin Islands
The Treasury designated four companies and two individuals accused of purchasing Iranian oil and petrochemical products in violation of U.S. sanctions.
January 23, 2020: Two companies based in Hong Kong
Other: One company based in Shanghai
One company based in Dubai
The Treasury sanctioned UAE-based companies for purchasing petroleum products from the National Iranian Oil Company.
March 19, 2020: Five companies based in the UAE
The Treasury sanctioned the captains of five ships – Clavel, Petunia, Fortune, Forest and Flaxon – that delivered Iranian gasoline to Venezuela
June 24, 2020: Five Iranian ship captains
The State Department sanctioned five companies for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport and marketing of Iranian petroleum. The Treasury also sanctioned six companies with ties to Triliance Petrochemical – a Hong Kong-based company with branches in Iran, China, Germany and the United Arab Emirates.
September 3, 2020: One Iranian man and two companies based in Iran
Other: Two Chinese men and six companies based in China
Three companies based in the UAE
The Treasury sanctioned Iran’s Ministry of Petroleum and Minister of Petroleum, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), and 20 other individuals, entities and vessels. NIOC, NITC and the National Petrochemical Company had already been sanctioned, but under different authorities.
October 26, 2020: Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zanganeh
Other: The Ministry of Petroleum and two state-owned companies
Eight Iranian nationals
Five companies based in Iran
Three companies based in the UAE
Two companies based in Britain
One Honduran-flagged tanker
One Panamanian-flagged tanker
The State and Treasury Departments sanctioned 11 companies based in Iran, China and Singapore for purchasing and selling Iranian oil. Four Iranian men and one Chinese woman were also added to the sanctions list.
October 29, 2020: Four Iranian men and two petrochemical companies based in Iran
Other: One company based in Singapore
Five companies based in China
One Chinese woman
The Treasury sanctioned four companies for helping export petrochemical products for Triliance, which was sanctioned in January 2020 for transferring the equivalent of millions of dollars to the National Iranian Oil Company.
December 16, 2029: Two companies based in the UAE
Other: Two companies based in China
Terrorism Sanctions (on the military, proxies and procurement networks)
The Treasury sanctioned a currency exchange network in Iran for procuring funds for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and its regional proxies. The designations were part of a joint action between the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates.
May 10, 2018: Three Iranian companies, five businessmen and one IRGC officer
The Treasury partnered with the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center member states (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the UAE) to designate members of Hezbollah’s Shura Council for involvement in Iran-backed terrorist activity.
May 16, 2018: Four Lebanese companies and ten senior Hezbollah officials
The Treasury designated several individuals and organizations as SDGTs for participation in a finance network for Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Foreign Terrorist Organization.
May 17, 2018: Three companies based in Lebanon and two Hezbollah operatives
Other: One company based in Belgium
One company based in The Gambia
The Treasury designated nine individuals and entities as SDGTs for supporting sanctioned Iranian airlines and assisting the Qods Force in conducting state-sponsored terrorist operations.
May 24, 2018: Two Iranian companies, two men and thirty-one aircraft
Other: Four Turkish companies and one businessman
The Treasury sanctioned Mahan Travel and Tourism Sdn Bhd, a Malaysia-based sales agent that worked for, or on behalf of, Mahan Air, a previously blacklisted for support for terrorism.
July 9, 2018: One company based in Malaysia
The State Department designated al Ashtar Brigades, an Iran-backed group committed to overthrowing Bahrain’s government, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The group had previously claimed responsibility for terrorist attacks against police officers and called for violence against foreigners.
July 10, 2018: One militia based in Bahrain
The Treasury sanctioned Thailand-based My Aviation Company Limited for acting for or on behalf of Mahan Air, an Iranian airline previously blacklisted for support for terrorism.
September 14, 2018: One company based in Thailand
The Treasury sanctioned two IRGC officers that it accused of providing “military training, financing and weapons to the Taliban.” The United States acted in partnership with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, the other member states of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), established in mid-2017.
October 23, 2018: Two Revolutionary Guards
Other: Six Taliban officials
One narcotics trafficker based in Pakistan
The Treasury sanctioned a complex financial network used to deliver oil from Iran to Syria and to transfer funds to IRGC proxy groups in Syria.
November 20, 2018: Two Central Bank of Iran officials
Other: One company based in Iran
One Hezbollah official
One Syrian businessman
One Russian man
Two companies based in Russia
The Treasury sanctioned four Hezbollah-linked individuals who coordinated between the Revolutionary Guards and Shiite militias in Iraq.
November 13, 2018: Four Hezbollah associates
The Treasury sanctioned Qeshm Fars Air, a commercial airliner allegedly ferrying Iranian weapons to Syria. It also sanctioned two Iran-backed militias in Syria and Flight Travel LLC, an Armenian company acting on behalf of Mahan Air.
January 24, 2019: One airliner based in Iran
Other: Two militias based in Syria
One company based in Armenia
The State Department designated the Iraqi militia Harakat al Nujaba and its leader, Akram Abbas al Kabi, as SDGTs. The militia had pledged loyalty to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said that it received military support from the Revolutionary Guards.
March 5, 2019: One militia based in Iraq and its leader
The United States sanctioned a network of front companies that evaded U.S. sanctions to provide support to the Revolutionary Guards and Iran’s Ministry and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).
March 26, 2019: Five companies and four Iranian businessmen
Other: Three companies and two businessmen based in the UAE
One company and two businessmen based in Turkey
The State Department announced the designation of the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), effective April 15. The IRGC is Iran’s most powerful military and security organization as well as a key economic player.
April 8, 2019: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
The Treasury sanctioned an Iraqi company, South Wealth Resources Company (SWRC), for trafficking hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of weapons to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force. The Office of Foreign Assets Control said that SWRC and two of its Iraqi associates, who were also sanctioned, had covertly facilitated Qods Force access to the Iraqi financial system to evade U.S. sanctions.
June 12, 2019: Two Iraqi men and one company based in Iraq
President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order imposing sanctions on the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Treasury sanctioned eight senior Revolutionary Guards commanders overseeing the IRGC’s navy, air force and ground forces.
June 24, 2019: Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
Other: Eight IRGC senior commanders
The Treasury sanctioned Iran’s largest petrochemical holding group, Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (PGPIC), for supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Office of Foreign Assets Control said that PGPIC provided financial support to Khatam al Anbiya Construction Headquarters, the engineering arm of the IRGC.
June 27, 2019: One petrochemical company and 31 subsidiaries based in Iran
The Treasury sanctioned Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif under an executive order imposing sanctions on the Supreme Leader and his subordinates. “Zarif oversees a foreign ministry that has coordinated with one of the Iranian regime’s most nefarious state entities, the IRGC-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), which is designated pursuant to terrorism and human rights authorities,” the Treasury said.
July 31, 2019: Foreign Minister Javad Zarif
The Treasury sanctioned two procurement networks linked to the Iranian regime and its military organizations. The designation included five Iranian men and five companies accused of providing ten million dollars of materials for Tehran’s WMD program.
August 28, 2019: Five Iranian businessmen and four companies based in Iran
Other: One company based in Hong Kong
The Treasury sanctioned four individuals responsible for transferring tens of millions of dollars between the Revolutionary Guards and Hamas in Gaza.
August 29, 2019: One operative based in Lebanon
Other: Three operatives based in Gaza
The Treasury sanctioned 20 front companies, senior officials and business associates based in both Iran and Iraq for funneling money to the Qods Force, the external operations arm of the IRGC, and transferring weapons to Iraqi militias backed by Iran.
March 26, 2020: Two companies based in both Iran and Iraq
Other: One company based in Iran
Two companies based in Iraq
Ten Iranian nationals
Three Iraqi nationals
Two dual Iranian-Iraqi nationals
The Treasury sanctioned Amir Dianat, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, for supporting Iranian arms smuggling operations. Dianat’s company, Taif Mining Services LLC, was also designated as a front company for the Qods Force.
May 1, 2020: One dual Iranian-Iraqi national
Other: One Iranian company
The Treasury sanctioned Shanghai Saint Logistics Limited for providing services to Mahan Air, an Iranian airline sanctioned in 2011 for supporting the elite Qods Force.
May 19, 2020: One company based in China
The Treasury sanctioned four steel, aluminum and iron companies for generating sales for the IRGC. It also sanctioned one domestic and four foreign subsidiaries of Mobarakeh Steel Company, Iran’s largest steel manufacturer.
June 25, 2020: Four companies based in Iran
Other: One company based in Germany
One company based in the UAE
The Treasury sanctioned two companies based in the United Arab Emirates for providing parts and logistics services to Iranian airline Mahan Air. It also sanctioned a UAE-based Iranian national who owned one of the companies.
August 19, 2020: Two companies based in the UAE
Other: One UAE-based Iranian national
The Treasury sanctioned Iraj Masjedi, a general in the Revolutionary Guards Qods Force and Tehran’s ambassador to Iraq. Masjedi had overseen training of Iraqi militia groups responsible for attacks against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq
October 22, 2020: One IRGC general
The Treasury sanctioned six companies and four individuals for supplying electronic components to an Iranian military firm.
November 10, 2020: One Iranian businessman and two companies based in Iran
Other: One dual Iranian-British national
Two Taiwanese women
Two companies based in China
One company based in Brunei
One multinational with offices in the UAE, Singapore, Taiwan, and China.
The Treasury sanctioned Hasan Irlu, Iran's diplomatic envoy to the Houthis in Yemen, for allegedly helping to provide advanced weapons and training to the rebels. The Trump administration also sanctioned Yousef al Muraj, a Pakistani operative with alleged ties to the IRGC. It also sanctioned al Mustafa International University, which it claimed was a center for militia recruitment by the IRGC.
December 8, 2020: One Iranian ambassador and one Iranian university
Other: One Pakistani man
The State Department designated Saraya al Mukhtar, a Bahrain-based militia with ties to Iran, as a terrorist organization. The militia “plotted attacks against U.S. personnel in Bahrain and has offered cash rewards for the assassination of Bahraini officials,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
December 15, 2020: One militia based in Bahrain
The Treasury sanctioned Iranian and foreign-based companies, as well as one Iranian man, involved with steel production and sales.
January 5, 2021: One Iranian man and 12 steel companies based in Iran
Other: Two steel companies based in China
One steel company based in Germany
One steel company based in Britain
The State Department designated Iran’s defense and shipping industries during President Trump’s last full week in office. The defense industry sanctions punished Iran for transferring conventional arms to its proxies in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
January 15, 2021: Three branches of Iran’s defense ministry
Other: Two Iranian business executives
Five companies based in Iran
One company based in China
One company based in the UAE
Cyber Sanctions
The Treasury sanctioned two Iranians for exchanging digital currency into Iranian rials. The cyber currency was paid by victims of Iranian ransomware.
November 28, 2018: Two Iranian cyber criminals
The Treasury sanctioned an Iranian company and five Iranian men for targeting U.S. government and military personnel with cyberattacks and malware.
February 13, 2019: Five Iranian men and one company based in Iran
The Treasury sanctioned two groups for cyber espionage. The new sanctions covered Rana Intelligence Computing Company, an Iranian cyber firm, and a cyber espionage group dubbed “Advanced Persistent Threat 39 (APT 39)” by U.S. cyber security companies. The Treasury also designated 45 individuals employed by Rana.
September 17, 2020: One cyber group, one company and 45 Iranian employees
The United States sanctioned three Iranian media outlets for spreading disinformation via social media and messaging applications during the 2020 presidential election. The Treasury alleged that the outlets were fronts for the Revolutionary Guards.
October 22, 2020: Three Iranian media outlets
Human Rights Sanctions
The Treasury sanctioned Ansar-e Hezbollah, a paramilitary group linked to the Basij, and three of its leaders for committing human rights abuses on behalf of Iran's government. It also designated three government officials for censoring Iranian social media and free press.
May 30, 2018: One paramilitary group and three leaders
Other: Three government officials
One programming group
Evin Prison
The Treasury sanctioned Iranian judiciary and military officials implicated in the execution of juveniles, prosecution of peaceful protesters and persecution of religious minorities. All nine had close ties to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
November 4, 2019: Nine government officials
The Treasury sanctioned Iran’s communications minister, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, for his role in internet censorship. Washington blamed Jahromi’s ministry for blocking internet access in the country for several days in November during widespread protests sparked by a sudden fuel price hike.
November 22, 2019: Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari
The Treasury sanctioned two Iran-backed Iraqi militia leaders – Qais al Khazali, leader of the Asaib Ahl al Haq, and his brother Laith al Khazali – for their alleged role in the killing of innocent protestors in Iraq. The sanctions also targeted Hussein Falih al Lami, security chief for the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella organization that includes many Iran-backed militias.
December 6, 2019: Three militia leaders
Other: One Iraqi businessman
The Treasury sanctioned two Iranian judges who had sentenced political prisoners to death and levied harsh punishments for Iranian protesters.
December 19, 2019: Two Iranian judges
The State Department designated an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander for his involvement in the crackdown on demonstrators in November 2019. Brigadier General Hassan Shahvarpour “oversaw the massacre of 148 helpless Iranians in the Mahshahr region,” Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook told reporters.
January 18, 2020: One IRGC general
The Treasury sanctioned key members of Iran’s Guardian Council, an unelected panel of 12 Islamic jurists and scholars. The council disqualified more than 9,000 out of some 14,000 candidates who registered to run in parliamentary elections.
February 20, 2020: Five Guardian Council members
The United States sanctioned Iran’s interior minister and senior law enforcement officials for authorizing lethal force on protestors in November 2019. The Treasury Department also sanctioned an IRGC commander involved in the bloody crackdown and a wealthy foundation controlled by the national police.
May 20, 2020: Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli
Other: Eight law enforcement officials and one IRGC general
One foundation controlled by the Law Enforcement Forces
The State Department sanctioned an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander for his involvement in the crackdown on demonstrators in November 2019. Brigadier General Hassan Shahvarpour “oversaw the massacre of 148 helpless Iranians in the Mahshahr region,” Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook told reporters.
January 17, 2020: One IRGC commander
The State Department imposed visa restrictions on Iranians involved in human rights violations. Thirteen were assassins who carried out “a brutal and intricately planned” assassination of Dr. Kazem Rajavi, the first revolutionary ambassador to the U.N. office in Geneva who resigned in 1980. Hojatollah Khodaei Souri, the former director of notorious Evin Prison, was the 14th person sanctioned.
August 21, 2020: Fourteen Iranian nationals
The Treasury sanctioned Iran’s intelligence minister and two Revolutionary Guards for complicity in human rights abuses, including the violent crackdown on protestors in November 2019. It also designated Bonyad Mostazafan (the Foundation of the Oppressed) as well as 10 men and 51 companies controlled or owned by the foundation and involved in the energy, finance and mining sectors.
November 18, 2020: Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi
Other: Two Revolutionary Guards and ten other Iranian men
One charitable foundation
Forty-eight companies based in Iran
One company based in Germany
One company based in the UAE
One company based in Turkey
The Treasury Department sanctioned two Iranians allegedly involved in the disappearance of former FBI agent Robert Levinson. Levinson was abducted on Iran’s Kish Island in March 2007. Thirteen years later, in March 2020, Levinson’s wife and children said that they believed he had died in Iranian custody, based on information provided by U.S. officials.
December 14, 2020: Two Iranian intelligence officials
The Treasury Department sanctioned Falih al Fayyadh, Chairman of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC) and former National Security Advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister, for human rights abuses. Fayyadh headed the PMC when its forces, including militias supported by Iran, allegedly fired live ammunition at Iraqi anti-government protestors who began demonstrating in October 2019.
January 8, 2021: One Iraqi militia leader
The Treasury sanctioned two foundations controlled by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with their heads and subsidiaries. The two bonyads (charitable organizations) – Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order and Astan Quds Razavi – have accumulated vast wealth, “including assets expropriated from political dissidents and religious minorities,” the Treasury said.
January 13, 2021: Two charitable organizations
Other: Twenty-three subsidiary organizations
Three Iranian men
Julia Broomer, a research assistant at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, contributed to this report