The UK government has announced a fresh wave of sanctions targeting individuals and organisations accused of planning attacks and carrying out hostile operations in Britain on behalf of Iran.
The Foreign Office confirmed on Monday that 12 new sanctions had been imposed, including travel bans and asset freezes on nine individuals linked to alleged “hostile activity” in the UK and other countries.
Three additional sanctions were issued against organisations, including the Zindashti Network, which was previously sanctioned by the European Union over alleged links to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
According to the EU, the Zindashti Network has “carried out numerous acts of transnational repression” for the Iranian government, including kidnappings and assassinations targeting critics of the regime.
Among those sanctioned by the UK are five members of the Zarringhalam family — Farhad, Fazlolah, Mansour, Nasser and Pouria — who are accused of helping finance operations aimed at “destabilise” the UK.
Mansour, Nasser and Fazlolah Zarringhalam were also sanctioned by the United States last year over their alleged involvement in Iran’s so-called “shadow banking” network.
The US Treasury claimed the three men had “collectively laundered billions of dollars” for Iran through a complex network of front companies operating in the UAE and Hong Kong.
Two companies linked to the alleged network, Berelian Exchange and GCM Exchange, were also included in the latest UK sanctions package.
The UK additionally sanctioned several foreign nationals accused of “threatening, planning or conducting attacks”.
Those named include Turkish national Ekrem Oztunc, Azerbaijani national Namiq Salifov and Iranian national Nihat Abdul Kadir Asan.
The latest measures come amid growing concerns in Britain and across Europe over alleged Iranian-linked activities targeting dissidents, journalists and political opponents overseas.