Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has nominated sanctioned human rights offender Esmaeil Khatib to continue as Iran’s Minister of Intelligence as he forms his new administration.
IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News reported that Pezeshkian’s proposal will be submitted to the Iranian Parliament for a vote of confidence.
Khatib, sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, was first designated on September 9, 2022 “for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly the MOIS [Ministry of Intelligence and Security].”
In another round of US sanctions on Khatib on September 22, 2022, Khatib, alongside Iran’s Morality Police and its senior leaders, was added to the US Treasury’s list of individuals for “being a person acting on behalf of the Government of Iran who is responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the commission of serious human rights abuses against persons in Iran or Iranian citizens or residents, or the family members of the foregoing, on or after June 12, 2009.”
Khatib has also threatened the London-based Iran International news network. In an interview published on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's website, he said: "England will pay for the measures it has taken to make Iran insecure and [the] Iran International network is recognized by Iran as a terrorist organization and its operatives and affiliates will be pursued."
Khatib's comments came in November 2022 at the peak of Iran's nationwide Woman Life Freedom protests, one year after he was nominated the position under the Ebrahim Raisi administration.
Sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in morality police custody for alleged hijab violation, Iranian state security forces killed over 500 protesters including teenagers and children with tens of thousands of arrests.
Last year, the offices of Iran International had to temporarily relocate to Washington as the UK's security authorities said they could not guarantee the staff's safety.
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has also been sanctioned by the US for “its support to multiple terrorist groups and for being responsible for, or complicit in, the commission of serious human rights abuses against the Iranian people.”
