US hits Iran with sanctions on its security forces

Iran's Revolutionary Guard were hit with US sanctions on Thursday for alleged human rights abuses Washington - Arabstoday The United States slapped Iran with sanctions Thursday, freezing the assets of its three security organizations and subjecting them to a visa ban.  The Iranian police, Revolutionary Guard , and the Basij militia were hit with the sanctions, after being accused of “serious” rights abuses by the United States.
The sanctions come at a time when regimes are under tremendous pressure from the upheaval that is occurring across the region.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticised Tehran for its “hypocrisy” in supporting protesters in Arab and North African countries, while perpetrating human rights abuses at home. 
Iran has recently come under increased scrutiny by the international community for its human rights abuses.
In a report released Thursday, Amnesty International said that since the 2009 presidential elections, the state has led a harsh crackdown on independent unions and workers’ rights activists.
It accuses the government is becoming desperate to stave off social unrest, as hikes in the cost of fuel and power are being felt all across Iran.
Echoing the Amnesty report, Clinton said Iranians want a government that “respects their human rights, their dignity and their freedom.”  She called on Tehran to end its “systematic abuse of human rights.”
This has been the latest in a series of measures taken against Iran, after the world witnessed the harsh crackdown on protesters following the 2009 presidential election.