The United States unveiled a tranche of sanctions on more than a dozen Syrian and Iranian officials and entities accused of serious human right abuses, the latest in what the administration has billed a “week of actions” ahead of its so-called Summit for Democracy.

The US Treasury Department said in a statement on Tuesday that it sanctioned several Iranians accused of involvement in violent crackdowns in Iran, including during the peaceful anti-government protests that erupted in November 2019 over gasoline price increases. The department designated the Special Units of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces, which handles crowd control and protest suppression, and several of the unit's officials for use of excessive and lethal force on unarmed civilian protesters. 

Also blacklisted were Gholamreza Soleimani, who commands Iran's Basij paramilitary force; Qods city Gov. Leila Vaseghi; and two interrogators accused of abusing detainees at the notorious Evin Prison. Two Iranian detention centers — Isfahan Central Prison and Zahedan Prison — were sanctioned for their “flagrant denial of the right to life and liberty.” 

The Treasury Department also designated two senior Syrian air force officers, Muhammad Youssef Al-Hasouri and Tawfiq Muhammad Khadour, who the department says helped carry out the chemical weapons attacks on Khan Shaykhun in 2017 and Eastern Ghouta in 2018, respectively. The department also placed sanctions on three senior officers in Syria’s security and intelligence apparatus.