Britain Adds Three Individuals and One Entity from the Islamic Republic of Iran to Sanctions List

The British government has added three individuals and one entity from the Islamic Republic of Iran to its sanctions list due to destabilizing activities against Israel, Britain, and other countries. According to a statement from the British government website on Monday, September 12, Hamid Fazeli, Abdol-Fattah Ahvazian, and Behnam Shahriari are the three individuals whose assets have been frozen and who are subject to travel bans to the UK following the new sanctions. Additionally, the potential assets of the 700th unit of the Quds Force of the IRGC will also be frozen in the UK under the new sanctions. Britain has stated that Hamid Fazeli and Behnam Shahriari have been included in the new sanctions list for supporting armed groups aimed at destabilizing Israel. Abdol-Fattah Ahvazian has been added to the London sanctions list for threatening, planning, or conducting activities aimed at creating instability in Britain or other countries with the intent to undermine their integrity, welfare, or security. The 700th unit of the Quds Force is also mentioned in this list, which the British government has sanctioned for facilitating activities or assisting in planning actions by armed groups supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran aimed at destabilizing Britain and any other country. The new sanctions and the connection to the IRGC's Quds Force: The 700th unit of the Quds Force is one of the new units of the IRGC's Quds Force. The Kan Israel network reported last year that this unit is responsible for smuggling military equipment and transferring it to IRGC-supported militants in Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Abdol-Fattah Ahvazian, who is on the new British sanctions list, is a senior commander of the IRGC and a senior advisor to Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force, on Gaza affairs. Behnam Shahriari is also a senior member of the IRGC's Quds Force who was previously included in the US Treasury sanctions list last year and was subject to sanctions related to 'anti-terrorism' laws. The name Behnam Shahriari has been repeatedly mentioned by the US government in connection with 'money laundering and oil smuggling' activities by the IRGC and its foreign arm, the Quds Force, as well as Hezbollah. He represents the shipping company 'Liner Transport Kish' and 'Behnam Shahriari Trading Company' and was also included in the US sanctions list in July 2011. It is unclear whether Behnam Shahriari resides in Iran or another country, and three birth dates have been estimated for him, indicating his age is between 56 and 59 years. The last individual is Hamid Fazeli, whose name was added to the sanctions list by the British government on Monday. He is the fifth head of the Iranian Space Agency since its establishment and previously served as the head of the Iranian Aerospace Research Institute and was appointed as the head of the Iranian Space Agency during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency. This agency works closely with the IRGC, and for example, the Qaim satellites, which are made from IRGC-made satellite launchers, are provided to the Iranian Space Agency to enable its access to a 36,000-kilometer orbit, according to the agency's statements.