Iran: U.S. Senators Call for Blacklisting of Raisi and Khamenei

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and 16 other American Senators introduced a bill to sanction the Iranian regime’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.  

Upon introducing this legislation, Senator Cruz underlined that “Raisi is responsible for the butchering of tens of thousands of innocent Iranians. They should both be subject to the full force of American sanctions. I am proud to introduce this legislation to ensure we continue imposing critical sanctions to isolate the Iranian regime and block their malign activities.” 

Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), another co-sponsor of this bill, said: “Ayatollah Khamenei and Ebrahim Raisi have used their positions to enrich themselves while terrorizing Iranian citizens and America’s allies. Our bill would prevent President Biden from rolling back the sanctions placed on these morally bankrupt members of the Iranian regime.” 

The bill calls the United States government to “impose sanctions with respect to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Sayyid Ebrahim Raisol-Sadati, who was elected president of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the 2021 presidential election.” 

“The President shall impose the sanctions described The President shall impose the sanctions described Accountability Act (Subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114–328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note) with respect to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Sayyid Ebrahim Raisol-Sadati, who was elected president of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the 2021 presidential election,” the Bill reads in part.  

“America must hold Iranian leaders accountable for decades of violence, terrorism, and human rights abuses, and Ayatollah Khamenei and Ebrahim Raisi should be sanctioned under the Global Magnistky Act. As the Iranian regime cracks down on Iranians demanding basic freedoms, now is not the time for America to ease pressure on despots who have systematically oppressed their own people and jeopardized the security of the rest of the world,” said Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)  

Background  

The Iranian regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei selected Ebrahim Raisi as the regime’s new president on June 19. The Iranian people boycotted this sham election and showed their desire for regime change.  

Raisi is a notorious criminal who has held top positions in the regime. Before becoming the regime’s president, Raisi was the Judiciary Chief and oversaw the crackdown on Iranian protesters during the major Iran protests in November 2019. However, Raisi’s dark human rights record goes back to the 1980s. Raisi was a member of the “death commission” in Tehran that was responsible for the massacre of political prisoners in the summer of 1988. Over 30,000 political prisoners were massacred in 1988; most of the victims were PMOI/MEK supporters.