New Delhi, April 17 -- The U.S. government slapped sanctions Thursday on two sons of Nicaragua's husband-and-wife copresidents, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, as well as other officials and companies tied to the country's gold industry, saying they help prop up a repressive government.

The Treasury Department sanctions come as U.S. President Donald Trump exerts more pressure on adversarial countries in Latin America than any other U.S. president in recent history. While the U.S. has long accused Nicaragua of repression, the country had largely escaped the heavy hand felt in countries like Cuba and Venezuela.

Nicaragua's government has been carrying out a crackdown on dissent since mass social protests in 2018 that the government vio...