US Imposes Sanctions on Revolutionary Guardsmen
img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-19116" title="revolutionary-guard" src="/files/wxrimport/2010-09/revolutionary-guard.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="105" /><The New York Times reports:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration stepped up pressure against Iran's government on Wednesday, slapping financial and travel sanctions on eight Iranian officials and accusing them of taking part in rampant human rights abuses.
Under an executive order signed this week by President Barack Obama, the State and Treasury departments jointly announced the sanctions that target Iranians who "share responsibility for the sustained and severe violation of human rights in Iran," notably after last year's disputed presidential elections.
At a State Department news conference, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said it was the first time the United States has imposed sanctions on Iranians for violating human rights. The step adds another layer to already heavy U.S. sanctions on Iran, which in the past have been imposed over the country's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
"On these officials' watch or under their command, Iranian citizens have been arbitrarily arrested, beaten, tortured, raped, blackmailed and killed," Clinton said. "Yet the Iranian government has ignored repeated calls from the international community to end these abuses."
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