On January 9, 2023, Canada issued sanctions punishing three Iranian entities and two leaders for propagating misinformation, the Canadian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Three Iranian Entities Were Sanctioned
This round of sanctions included the Press Supervisory Board, known as “an organ of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance,” empowered by the Iranian regime’s Press Law to “arbitrarily shut down news outlets deemed to be harmful to the ‘bases of the Islamic Republic,’ the supreme leader, or public morals.”
The sanctions also included the Iran Newspaper, described as “an official publication of Iran.” The statement says the newspaper “disseminates the regime’s disinformation and propaganda to justify the state’s domestic repression and its destabilizing regional operations through organizations such as the Quds Force and Iran-aligned non-state actors.”
Canada also sanctioned the 15 Khordad Foundation, which the statement claimed to be “an untaxed revolutionary foundation enriching Iranian kleptocrats, financing the operations of the most senior officials in the regime and implementing the regime’s domestic policies and regional activities that threaten international peace and security.”
Two Iranian Leaders Were Sanctioned
Canada has also imposed sanctions on two Iranian leaders, including Vahid Yaminpour, Deputy Minister of Sports and Youth and secretary of the Supreme Council of Youth Affairs.
The statement described Mr. Yaminpour as “a state propaganda official who has hosted programs, produced content and provided advisory services for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Corporation,” a state-controlled media organization backing the supreme leader’s office and talking points.
Ottawa also indicated that Mohsen Qomi was included. Mr. Qomi is a “senior regime insider, a Shi’a cleric, and a member of the Press Supervisory Board and Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, according to the news release.
“He also acts as a deputy adviser for international affairs in the supreme leader’s office and an adviser to the supreme leader on international communications.”
These sanctions came a day after three years since an Iranian surface-to-air missile shot down flight PS752 minutes after taking off from Tehran, Iran, killing 176 passengers, including dozens of Canadians.
On January 9, Iran's judiciary sentenced three more anti-government protesters to death on charges of “waging war on God,” its Mizan news agency reported on defying growing international criticism over its fierce crackdown on demonstrators.
Misbar’s Sources
