Members of the Iranian community scuffled with police outside the Iranian Embassy in Athens, September 22, 2022, during a demonstration over the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who died while being held by Iranian morality police.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions against seven Iranian security and morality police officials on Thursday, accusing them of violating the rights of women, civil society activists and peaceful protesters.

The new sanctions target morality police chief Mohammad Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi, and the force's director for Tehran, Haj Ahmad Mirzaei. Mirzaei has reportedly been suspended from his post following protests concerning the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman under his watch.

Amini, 22, was pronounced dead at a hospital on September 16 after spending three nights at a morality detention center in Tehran, where she was allegedly tortured for not properly wearing a headscarf.

The U.S. sanctions also target Esmail Khatib, Iran's minister of intelligence; Salar Abnoush, deputy commander of the Basij forces; Qasem Rezaei, deputy commander of Law Enforcement Forces (LEF); Manouchehr Amanollahi, an LEF provincial commander; and Kiyumars Heidari, the commander of the Iranian army's ground forces.

"These officials oversee organizations that routinely employ violence to suppress peaceful protesters and members of Iranian civil society, political dissidents, women's rights activists, and members of the Iranian Baha'i community," the Treasury said in a statement on Thursday.

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