UK sanctions Iranian entities accused of deploying criminal proxies

London: Organizations and individuals accused of enabling hostile activities by Iran, including criminal proxies on British soil, are among those affected by the UK’s new sanctions.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said Monday’s new measures came in response to Iran’s actions against global security and its use of criminal gangs to carry out threats overseas.

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These are designed to target illicit financial flows that enable the Iranian regime to take destabilizing actions in West Asia, including a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that has disrupted the global economy and military strikes against Britain’s allies in the Gulf.

“This package of sanctions directly targets organizations and individuals who threaten security on the streets of the United Kingdom and stability in the Middle East,” British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said.

“Criminal proxies, supported by sections of the Iranian regime, who threaten security in the UK and Europe will not be tolerated, nor will illicit financial networks. We are co-ordinating our actions across Europe.
“We continue to press for a negotiated settlement and a long-term diplomatic solution in the Middle East that would immediately restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”

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FCDO said its package was consistent with measures taken by the European Union (EU) and built on recent actions by the British government to hold the Iranian regime accountable for hostile activities, including threats to national security.

Organizations approved with asset freezes and executive disqualifications include Berelian Exchange, GCM Exchange and Zindashti Network.

The names on the travel ban, asset freezing and executive disqualification sanctions list are as follows: Mansour Zarringhalam, Nasser Zarringhalam, Ekrem Abdulkerym Öztunç, Nihat Abdul Kadir Asan, Reza Hamıdıravari and Namiq Salifov.

The FCDO said the latest action follows more than 550 sanctions previously imposed on Iranian individuals and organizations, including the entire Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and more than 90 sanctions in response to human rights violations.