US prepares more sanctions against Iran as protests continue

State Department spokesman Ned Price says penalties on Iran for its crackdown on protests 'will not be the last'

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The US will impose more sanctions on Iran if the regime continues to crack down on protesters, the Biden administration said on Monday.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said more US penalties could be expected as protests continued into a 10th day in Iran, where more than 40 people have been killed and hundreds arrested, human rights monitors say.

Last week, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Iran’s morality police and other security agencies involved in the crackdown.

“Those are not first human rights sanctions levied against Iran. They will not be the last,” Mr Price said.

The swift response from President Joe Biden's administration, which has offered vocal support to Iranian protesters and levied sanctions early in the protests, marks a shift in tactics from when Mr Biden was Barack Obama's vice president, from 2009 to 2016.

At that time, and in response to Green Movement popular protests, the Obama administration kept quiet and was heavily criticised for the delay in responding to the rallies.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC on Sunday that Washington had learnt a lesson.

“Part of the reason that there was a different kind of approach in 2009 was the belief that somehow if America spoke out it would undermine the protesters, not aid them," Mr Sullivan said.

"I think what we learnt in the aftermath of that is that you can overthink these things."

He said the priority for the US now was “to be firm and clear and principled in response to citizens of any country demanding their rights and dignity".

Mr Sullivan said the US would keep finding ways to overcome the crackdown and provide communications for the protesters.

Updated: September 26, 2022, 9:22 PM