The United States imposed sanctions on Iran's communications minister on Friday for his role in "widescale internet censorship," a reference to a five-day-long nationwide shutdown meant to help stifle protests against fuel price hikes in Iran.
The sanctions imposed on Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi would block any of his property under U.S. jurisdiction, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement, adding that U.S. regulations generally prohibit dealings by U.S. persons, or those transiting the United States, in such property.
The U.S. is sanctioning the Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Mohammad Jahromi, for helping shut down the Iranian internet. We will hold members of the Iranian regime accountable for their violent repression of the Iranian people. #Internet4Iran— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) November 22, 2019
The internet blockage, which Iran said on Thursday it had begun to roll back, made it difficult for protesters to post videos on social media to generate support and also to obtain reliable reports on the extent of the unrest.
if(window.location.pathname.indexOf("656089") != -1){console.log("hedva connatix");document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none";}"Iran’s leaders know that a free and open internet exposes their illegitimacy, so they seek to censor internet access to quell anti-regime protests," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
"We are sanctioning Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology for restricting internet access, including to popular messaging applications that help tens of millions of Iranians stay connected to each other and the outside world," he added.Treasury designates Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology in view of the regime’s repressive internet censorship. https://t.co/i7JKF9uTTT— Treasury Department (@USTreasury) November 22, 2019