The U.S. Department of the Treasury and Department of State announced on Thursday, December 19, that they have sanctioned Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj. Simultaneously, these two agencies imposed sanctions on several entities and ships involved in the sale of oil and petrochemical products by the Iranian regime.
“GHEZEL HESAR PRISON has been determined by the Secretary of State pursuant to section 106 of CAATSA to be responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, namely cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment committed against individuals in Iran who seek to exercise their internationally recognized human right of freedom of expression.”
Previously, some other prisons of the Iranian regime had also been subjected to U.S. sanctions.
At the same time, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a statement on Thursday, announcing sanctions on four entities and three vessels that contributed to generating billions of dollars for the Iranian regime through the sale of oil and petrochemicals.
According to the statement, this revenue has been used to fund Iran’s nuclear program, the development and proliferation of ballistic missiles, and the financing of proxy terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.
The statement adds that the sanctioned vessels have also used obscure and deceptive methods to hide this trade, significantly endangering the maritime industry.
The U.S. Department of State also sanctioned several entities for transferring crude oil on behalf of the Iranian regime.
Bradley Smith, Acting Deputy Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated that the Iranian government continues to rely on a shadow network of vessels, companies, and facilitators to support its dangerous nuclear program, weapons proliferation, and proxy groups.
Smith added that the United States is committed to countering key revenue streams for the Iranian regime, which he said are used to support its destabilizing activities.
The entities sanctioned by the United States are based in Liberia, Greece, Panama, the Marshall Islands, Hong Kong, Seychelles, India, and Suriname, while the sanctioned vessels fly the flags of Djibouti, San Marino, Panama, Cameroon, and Barbados.
On Wednesday, December 18, the United States also sanctioned a range of individuals and entities linked to Iran’s missile and drone programs.
Over the past years, the United States and the European Union have imposed extensive sanctions on individuals and entities involved in Iran’s drone and missile programs, as well as on human rights violators and those responsible for suppressing protesters.
In response, the Iranian regime, despite repeated warnings from Western countries about the continuation of sanctions, persists in its destabilizing actions across various fields, including military and human rights activities.
