The Takeaway: Can sanctions curb Iran's protest crackdown?
Plus, a top Republican lawmaker questions the Biden administration's Syria policy and the US announces support for Lebanon's security forces.
WASHINGTON — As Western governments continue to pile sanctions on Iran for its protest crackdown, there are few signs that its leaders are backing down.
If anything, the violence has turned deadlier. Tehran has resorted to public executions to quash nationwide demonstrations that have arguably posed the most serious challenge to Iran’s leadership since the 1979 revolution.
On Monday, the US Treasury Department responded with new penalties targeting 10 Iranian individuals and what it described as a slush fund for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Among those blacklisted were two IRGC commanders whose forces reportedly fired on protesters in the city of Javanrud using machine guns and heavy weaponry.
“If Iran continues to engage in these human rights abuses, we will continue to apply even more pressure on Iran,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told Al-Monitor.
