Iran sanctions UK and US individuals and entities aiding Israel

UK Defense Secretary Included in Sanctions List

On the 2nd (local time), Iran announced that it has added individuals and institutions from the United Kingdom and the United States, which support Israel in the Gaza Strip war, to its sanctions list.

Photo by Yonhap News

According to major foreign media including AFP, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release that day, "We have taken measures against numerous UK institutions and individuals who have supported and facilitated the terrorist acts of the Zionist regime (Israel)."

The individuals named for sanctions include Grant Shapps, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, and James Hockenhull, the UK Strategic Commander, both senior officers within the Ministry of Defence and military command structure. The institutions include the British Akrotiri Air Base located in Cyprus in the Mediterranean and the British Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The UK regime is clearly violating the fundamental principles of international law enshrined in the United Nations Charter."

Iran also placed Americans on the sanctions list, including Brian Fenton, Commander of the US Special Operations Command, and Lieutenant General Brad Cooper, former Commander of the US Navy 5th Fleet. Companies such as the American Lockheed Martin and Chevron were also included in the sanctions list.

The sanctions will include measures such as visa issuance bans, denial of entry into Iranian territory, and freezing of bank accounts.

In this phase of the war, as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels support Hamas and have attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea, the UK, together with the US, has been assisting Israel by conducting airstrikes on Houthi military facilities since earlier this year.