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WASHINGTON:
The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials it accused of being behind the crackdown on protests and said they were tracking Iranian leaders’ funds being transferred to international banks, as President Donald Trump keeps the pressure on Tehran.
The US Treasury Department said in a statement that it imposed sanctions on the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council as well as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and law enforcement commanders, accusing them of being the architects of the crackdown.
The US also imposed sanctions on the Fardis prison, where the State Department said women had “endured cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a video Thursday that Washington’s message to Iran’s leaders was clear: “The U.S. Treasury Department knows that, like rats on a sinking ship, you are frantically sending funds stolen from Iranian families to banks and financial institutions around the world. Rest assured, we will track them and you.
“But there is still time if you choose to join us. As President Trump has said, stop the violence and stand with the people of Iran.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi “seems very nice” but expressed uncertainty about whether Pahlavi would be able to rally support inside Iran to eventually take over.
In an exclusive Reuters interview in the Oval Office, Trump said there was a chance Iran’s government could collapse and blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the impasse in talks with Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran. But he was reluctant on Wednesday to give his full support to Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah of Iran, who was ousted from power in 1979.
“He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he would play in his own country,” Trump said. “And we’re really not up to that point yet. I don’t know if his country would accept his leadership or not, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me.”
Trump’s comments went further, questioning Pahlavi’s ability to lead Iran after he said last week he had no plans to meet with him.
Opposition fragmented
Trump said it is possible that the government in Tehran could fall because of the protests, but that “any regime can fail”.
“Whether it goes down or not, it’s going to be an interesting period,” he said.
Trump, who is closing out the first year of his second term, sat behind his enormous Resolute Desk and sipped a Diet Coke during the 30-minute interview. At one point, he held up a thick binder of papers that he said contained his accomplishments since he was sworn into office on January 20, 2025.
But he tried to manage expectations for Republicans in November’s midterm congressional elections, noting that the party in power often loses seats two years after a presidential election.
“When you win the presidency, you don’t win the midterms,” he said. “But we will make a big deal out of winning the midterms.”
‘Zelensky’ biggest obstacle to reaching an agreement
Trump, who has fought throughout his presidency to end Russia’s war in Ukraine despite campaign boasts that he could end it in a day, said Zelensky is the biggest obstacle to resolving the four-year-old war.
Trump has often criticized both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky, but once again seemed more down on the Ukrainian president.
Trump said Putin was “ready to make a deal.” Asked what the delay was, Trump simply said, “Zelensky.” “We have to get President Zelensky to agree to it,” he said.
Trump is due to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday, their first face-to-face meeting since Trump led the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and took control of the country earlier this month.
“She’s a very nice woman,” Trump said of Machado. “I’ve seen her on TV. I think we just need to talk basics.”
Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize last year and dedicated it to Trump. She has offered to give him her prize, but the Nobel committee said the peace prize is non-transferable.
He praised Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro’s vice president when he was ousted. Trump said he had a “fascinating conversation” with Rodriguez earlier Wednesday and “she has been very good to deal with.”
Trump frequently touted the strength of the U.S. economy during the interview, despite lingering concerns among Americans about prices. He said he will take that message with him next week to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he will emphasize “how great our economy is, how strong our jobs numbers are, how well we’re doing.”
