Britain: New Sanctions Against the Islamic Republic to Be Implemented

The British Foreign Office announced in a statement that new sanctions against the Islamic Republic will come into effect from Thursday, December 14, granting the country comprehensive new powers to hold the Islamic Republic and its affiliates accountable for human rights violations, violent repression of protesters, and destructive international activities. The statement noted: "These sanctions were imposed in July in response to the unprecedented threats posed by the Iranian regime, including attempts to undermine peace and security across the Middle East and plots to assassinate individuals on British soil." The sanctions include new trade restrictions against the export of drone parts and grant the British government new powers to impose sanctions on the shipping industry that violates existing sanctions or is owned or controlled by sanctioned individuals. Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated: "The behavior of the Iranian regime is an unacceptable threat to Britain and our partners." He also added that the Islamic Republic "continues to threaten people on British soil and uses its influence to destabilize the Middle East by supporting armed groups including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad." According to Cameron, the new British sanctions against the Islamic Republic "give us extensive new powers to counter this horrific behavior. The list of those sanctioned today sends a clear message to the regime that we hold you accountable for your actions." The British Foreign Office stated that London, in coordination with the United States, has announced the first list of individuals and organizations subject to new sanctions due to the Islamic Republic's support for terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The list from the Foreign Office includes: "The first set of sanctioned names includes Ismail Qaani, who leads the notorious Quds Force of the IRGC, directs the Iranian regime's operations abroad, and supports regional partners and proxy groups." The statement noted that the list includes 7 individuals and another entity sanctioned, all linked to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, due to their involvement in hostile activities by these armed groups supported by the Iranian regime, which include actions aimed at threatening, planning, or creating instability in Israel. Individuals subject to travel bans to Britain and asset freezes include: Ismail Qaani, commander of the IRGC's Quds Force; Mohammad Saeed Izadi, head of the IRGC's Palestinian branch and head of the external operations unit Abu Jihad, and three other members of the IRGC's Palestinian branch. Also included are Khaled Qaddoumi, Hamas representative in Iran, and Nasser Abu Sharif, representative of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Iran. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, financially and militarily supported by the Islamic Republic, targeted Israel with missile attacks on October 6, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 240 hostages, including children, women, and the elderly. The United States, Britain, the European Union, Israel, Japan, and several other countries classify Hamas and Islamic Jihad as terrorist organizations. So far, Britain has imposed over 350 sanctions against individuals and entities of the Islamic Republic in response to human rights violations in Iran and its malign influence internationally. On Friday, December 8, Britain announced sanctions against five officials of the public transportation system in Tehran and judicial-security sectors of the Iranian government involved in enforcing the "mandatory hijab policy" and suppressing fundamental freedoms. Alongside these sanctions, David Cameron emphasized that "criminals and repressive regimes that trample on the fundamental rights and freedoms of ordinary people around the world" will not be tolerated by Britain. Under these sanctions, the assets of the sanctioned individuals are frozen, transactions with them are prohibited, and they are deprived of the right to enter or remain in British territory.