New Zealand Moves to Sanction Forty Iranian Officials

(MENAFN) New Zealand moved Wednesday to impose sweeping sanctions and travel bans targeting dozens of senior Iranian officials, holding them accountable for the alleged killing of civilians during a wave of nationwide protests.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced the travel restrictions cover 40 named individuals, among them Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, Minister of Intelligence Esmail Khatib, and Prosecutor-General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad.

Peters confirmed the measures will extend to members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

"Iranians have the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and access to information. Those rights have been ruthlessly violated," Peters said in a statement.

The foreign minister noted that Wellington has aligned itself with Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union in applying coordinated pressure on Tehran through sanctions.

All individuals subject to the travel bans will be barred from entering or transiting New Zealand territory.

This latest round of restrictions marks New Zealand's fourth tranche of such measures, bringing the cumulative total of individuals targeted over alleged human rights abuses in Iran to 95.

Separately, Wellington has also levied sanctions against 29 Iranian individuals and 19 Iranian entities accused of materially supporting Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.

The scale of the crackdown has come into sharper focus following an official disclosure earlier this month, when Iran's presidential office released a report cataloguing the names of 2,986 people killed during anti-government demonstrations that erupted in late 2025 — part of a broader death toll of 3,117 recorded throughout the unrest. The report, published by the Office of the Presidency, confirmed that fatalities included both civilians and members of the security apparatus.

The protests, which lasted approximately two weeks, were ignited by a sharp deterioration in economic conditions and living standards across the country.

Iranian authorities have acknowledged widespread public frustration but stopped short of accepting responsibility, instead accusing Washington and Tel Aviv of weaponising sanctions and external pressure to deliberately foment instability and advance a foreign-backed agenda of regime change.

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