Report to Congress on List of Persons Who Are Responsible for or Complicit in Certain Human Rights Abuses in Iran

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Pursuant to the authorities delegated to the Secretary of State in Executive Order (E.O.) 13553, which implements Section 105 of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, as amended (CISADA) (Public Law 111-195), as well as in the October 9, 2012, Delegation of Certain Functions and Authorities Under the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (TRA), this report includes persons determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with or at the recommendation of the Secretary of State, to meet the criteria in Sections 105(b), 105A(b), and 105B(b) of CISADA.

This report includes persons who are subject to visa restrictions and whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13553, based on determinations that such persons are, among other things, officials of the Government of Iran or acting on behalf of the Government of Iran who are responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the commission of serious human rights abuses against citizens of Iran or their family members. This report also includes persons whose property and interests in property are blocked and who are subject to visa restrictions pursuant to sections 2 or 3 of E.O. 136281 and section 7 of E.O. 13846, based on determinations that such persons have engaged in certain actions with respect to (i) goods or technologies that have been determined likely to be used by the Government of Iran or any of its agencies or instrumentalities (or by any other person on behalf of the Government of Iran, or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) to commit serious human rights abuses against the people of Iran, or (ii) censorship or other activities with respect to Iran that prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of freedom of expression or assembly by Iranian citizens, or that limit access to print or broadcast media. In addition to these persons, this report also includes certain persons designated or listed under other authorities based on a determination that they have engaged in certain conduct related to human rights violations or abuses, as further described below. This report is based upon information as of March 15, 2022.

The following is a list of individuals who have been designated under E.O. 13553 to date:

  • Abdollah Araghi, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces Deputy Commander;
  • Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, Prosecutor General of Tehran;
  • Hassan Firouzabadi, senior military advisor to the Supreme Leader, former Chairman of Iran’s Joint Chiefs of Staff;
  • Mohammad Ali Jafari, former Commander of the IRGC;
  • Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam, former Commander of the Law Enforcement Forces;
  • Sadeq Mahsouli, former Minister of Welfare and Social Security, former Minister of the Interior and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces for Law Enforcement;
  • Qolam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, Judiciary Spokesman, former Prosecutor-General of Iran, former Minister of Intelligence;
  • Saeed Mortazavi, former head of Iranian Anti-Smuggling Task Force, former Prosecutor-General of Tehran;
  • Heydar Moslehi, former Minister of Intelligence;
  • Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, former Minister of the Interior and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces for Law Enforcement;
  • Mohammad Reza Naqdi, former Commander of the IRGC Basij Resistance Force;
  • Ahmad-Reza Radan, former Deputy Chief of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces, Senior Iranian Law Enforcement Official;
  • Hossein Taeb, Deputy Commander of the IRGC, Commander of the IRGC Intelligence Organization, former Commander of the Basij Resistance Force;
  • Asghar Mir-Hejazi, Intelligence advisor to the Supreme Leader;
  • Sohrab Soleimani, Supervisor of the Office of the Deputy for Security and Law Enforcement of the State Prisons Organization, former Director General of the Tehran Prisons Organization;
  • Sadegh Amoli Larijani, Chairman of the Expediency Council and former Head of Iran’s Judiciary;
  • Gholamreza Ziaei, Director of Rajaee Shahr Prison;
  • Abdholhamid Mohtasham, founding member of Ansar-e Hizballah;
  • Hossein Allahkaram, cofounder and leader of Ansar-e Hizballah;
  • Hamid Ostad, founder of Mashhad branch of Ansar-e Hizballah;
  • Hossein Ashtari Fard, Commander of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF);
  • Ayoub Soleimani, Deputy Commander of the LEF;
  • Mohsen Fathi Zadeh, Chief of the Defense and Intelligence Organizations of the LEF;
  • Yahya Mahmoodzadeh, Deputy of Planning and Budget for the LEF;
  • Hamidraza Ashraq, Deputy and Parliamentary Affairs for the LEF;
  • Mohammad Ali Noorinajad, Chairman of the LEF Cooperation Foundation;
  • Habil Darvish, Deputy of Engineering of the LEF and head of the LEF Cooperative Foundation;
  • Hasan Shahvarpour, Brigadier General and Commander of the IRGC Vali Asr forces of Khuzestan Province;
  • Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Minister of Interior and chair of Iran’s National Domestic Security Council;
  • Advanced Persistent Threat 39 (APT39), an Iranian cyber threat group;
  • Rana Intelligence Computing Company (Rana), and 45 individuals associated with RANA, a front company for the Ministry of Intelligence to monitor and harass Iranian citizens;
  • Mahmoud Alavi, Minister of Intelligence;
  • Mohammad Baseri, officer of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS);
  • Ahmad Khazai, officer of Iran’s MOIS;
  • Alireza Shahvaroghi Farahani, senior Iran-based intelligence official;
  • Mahmoud Khazein, Iranian intelligence operative;
  • Kiya Sadeghi, Iranian intelligence operative;
  • Omid Noori, Iranian intelligence operative;
  • Hassan Karami, Commander of Special Units of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF Special Units);
  • Mohsen Ebrahimi, Commander of Iran’s Counter-Terror Special Forces (NOPO);
  • Seyed Reza Mousavi Azami, Commander of a brigade of the LEF Special Units;
  • Gholamreza Soleimani, Commander of the Basij Resistance Force;
  • Leila Vaseghi, Governor of Qods City;
  • Ali Hemmatian, IRGC interrogator; and
  • Masoud Safdari, IRGC interrogator.

The following is a list of entities that have been designated under E.O. 13553 to date:

  • The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps;
  • The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force;
  • The Basij Resistance Force;
  • Law Enforcement Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran;
  • The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security;
  • Abyssec;
  • Tehran Prisons Organization;
  • Rajaee Shahr Prison;
  • Ansar-e Hezbollah;
  • Evin Prison;
  • The Fatemiyoun Division;
  • The Zaynabiyoun Brigade;
  • Ghavamin Bank
  • The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) Cooperative Foundation;
  • Special Units of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF Special Units); and
  • Iran’s Counter-Terror Special Forces (NOPO).

The following is a list of individuals who were designated under Sections 2 or 3 of E.O. 13628, which previously implemented Sections 105A and 105B of CISADA, respectively:

  • Ali Fazli, Deputy Commander of the Basij;
  • Rasool Jalili, Sharif University of Technology, member of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace;
  • Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam, former Commander of the Law Enforcement Forces;
  • Reza Taghipour, former Minister of Communications and Information Technology;
  • Ezzatollah Zarghami, former Director of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, member of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace;
  • Morteza Tamaddon, former Governor-General of Tehran Province;
  • Abolhassan Firouzabadi, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace;
  • Abdolsamad Khoramabadi, Secretary of the Committee to Determine Instances of Criminal Content; and
  • Abdulali Ali-Asgari, Director General of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.

The following is a list of entities that were designated under Sections 2 or 3 of E.O. 13628, which previously implemented Sections 105A and 105B of CISADA, respectively:

  • Amn Afzar Gostar-e Sharif;
  • Center to Investigate Organized Crime;
  • Iranian Communications Regulatory Authority;
  • Iran Electronic Industries;
  • Iranian Cyber Police;
  • Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting;
  • Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance;
  • PeykAsa;
  • Press Supervisory Board;
  • Committee to Determine Instances of Criminal Content;
  • Ofogh Saberin Engineering Development Company;
  • Douran Software Technologies;
  • Supreme Council of Cyberspace; and
  • The National Cyberspace Center.

The following is a list of individuals who have been designated to date under Section 7 of E.O. 13846, which now implements Sections 105A and 105B of CISADA:

  • Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, Minister of Information and Communications Technology;
  • Mohammad Moghisseh, Judge and Head of the Tehran Revolutionary Court Branch 28; and
  • Abdolghassem Salavati, Judge and Head of the Tehran Revolutionary Court Branch 15.

The following is a list of entities that have been designated to date under Section 7 of E.O. 13846, which now implements Sections 105A and 105B of CISADA:

  • Ayandeh Bank.

The current Iranian foreign officials designated to date under Section 7031(c) of the annual Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for involvement in gross violations of human rights are:

  • Hassan Shahvarpour, Brigadier General and Commander of the IRGC Vali Asr forces of Khuzestan Province;
  • Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Minister of Interior and chair of Iran’s National Domestic Security Council;
  • Heidar Abbaszadeh, Brigadier General of the IRGC;
  • Reza Papi, Colonel of the IRGC;
  • Ali Hemmatian, IRGC interrogator; and
  • Massoud Safdari, IRGC interrogator.

The following is a list of individuals that have been listed to date under Section 106 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) based on a determination that they were responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against certain individuals in Iran:

  • Seyed Mahmoud Sadati, Judge of Branch 1 of the Shiraz Revolutionary Court,
  • Mohammad Soltani, Judge of the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad;
  • Soghra Khodadadi, Director of Qarchak Prison; and
  • Mohammad Karam, Commander of IRGC South-East Quds Operational Base in Zahedan in Sistan and Baluchistan Province.

The following is a list of entities that have been listed to date under Section 106 of CAATSA based on a determination that they were responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against certain individuals in Iran:

  • Great Tehran Penitentiary;
  • Qarchak Prison;
  • Adel Abad Prison;
  • Orumiyeh Central Prison;
  • Vakilabad Prison;
  • Branch 1 of the Shiraz Revolutionary Court;
  • Zahedan Prison; and
  • Isfahan Central Prison (Dastgerd Prison).

The Departments of State and the Treasury continue to assess the involvement of other persons in human rights violations or abuses and censorship or other activities that prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of freedom of expression or assembly as information becomes available. Treasury will impose sanctions on those persons determined to meet the relevant criteria as appropriate. Persons acting for or on behalf of the Government of Iran or the IRGC are blocked by operation of law pursuant to authorities administered by Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The Secretary of State will continue to exercise the functions delegated to him, including submitting updated lists to the appropriate congressional committees as required by Sections 105(b)(2), 105A(b)(4), and 105B(b)(2) of CISADA.