New Zealand Bans Entry of Iranian Ministers, Attorney General to Revolutionary Guards
JAKARTA - The New Zealand government has imposed sanctions and entry bans on a number of Iranian ministers and officials for allegedly being involved in the death of citizens when a wave of protests hit the Middle Eastern country recently.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the entry ban targeted 40 individuals, including Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, and Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad.
Peters added that the ban also includes members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
"The Iranian people have the right to peaceful protests, freedom of expression, and access to information. These rights have been brutally violated," Peters said in a statement on Wednesday, February 25, as reported by ANTARA from Anadolu.
He stated that New Zealand had joined Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union in imposing sanctions on Iran.
Individuals subject to the ban will not be allowed to enter or transit in New Zealand.
Previously, New Zealand had announced three waves of entry bans against 55 individuals related to alleged human rights violations in Iran.
New Zealand also imposed sanctions on 29 Iranian individuals and 19 entities for allegedly "supporting" Russia in the war against Ukraine.
Earlier this month, the Iranian presidential office released a report listing 2,986 names of the victims of the anti-government protests that erupted at the end of 2025, out of a total of 3,117 deaths recorded during the riots. The victims include civilians and members of the security forces.
The wave of protests that lasted about two weeks was triggered by the deteriorating economic conditions and people's lives.
The Iranian government acknowledges public discontent, but accuses the United States and Israel of trying to exploit the unrest through sanctions and pressure to foment instability in order to justify foreign intervention and regime change.