WANA (May 12) – Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has announced a new round of sanctions and travel bans against several Iranian officials and entities, citing alleged human rights violations.
In a statement defending the move, Wong specified that the measures target seven individuals and four entities linked to Iran’s security and financial networks. The Foreign Minister claimed that those sanctioned were designated for their roles in the events of January 2026.
Wong’s remarks refer to the peaceful livelihood and trade protests that took place across Iran in January 2026 following currency fluctuations.
While the Iranian government stated it recognized the protests and would continue efforts to address the concerns raised, Tehran maintains that the demonstrations were pushed toward unrest and destruction on January 8th and 9th by terrorist elements with documented links to the United States and the Israeli regime.
The office of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian previously released a consolidated list identifying 2,986 individuals who lost their lives during the January unrest, based on data from the Legal Medicine Organization and the National Organization for Civil Registration.
Furthermore, Wong claimed the sanctions target financial networks used to “support armed groups and Iran’s missile activities.” According to her statement, these actions were taken in coordination with recent anti-Iranian sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom.
With this latest announcement, the Australian government has now imposed over 230 sanctions against individuals and entities associated with Iran, more than 100 of which are linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
