Oct. 14 (UPI) — Britain on Monday unveiled another round of sanctions targeting Iran over its ongoing destabilization actions in the Middle East, specifically blacklisting senior military leadership responsible for Tehran’s attack on Israel early this month.
The package designates seven Iranians, mostly military officials, and two entities, that Britain blames for aiding Iran’s Oct. 1 attack on Israel, which saw the launch of more than 200 ballistic missiles targeting the Jewish state.
Iran claimed it was retaliating for Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, but democratic nations, including the United States and Britain, condemned the strike as reckless and that it threatens to expand war throughout the region.
Israel, in turn, vowed it would retaliate. Israel’s allies called for calm — from both sides — while using their financial vices as punishment for Iran.
“Following its ballistic missile attack on Israel, we are holding Iran to account and exposing those who facilitated these acts,” Britain’s foreign secretary, David Lammy, said in a statement Monday.
“Alongside allies and partners, we will continue to take necessary measures to challenge Iran’s unacceptable threats and press for de-escalation.”
Of the seven designations made Monday, Houssein Pourfarzaneh is the only civilian.
He is the chief engineer at Farzanegan Propulsion Systems, which designs and manufactures engine technology used in cruise missiles.
He and his company were previously hit with U.S. sanctions in September over Iran’s supply of engine samples to Russian weapons manufacturers to support their cruise missile development.
The other entity blacklisted by Britain on Monday was the Iranian Space Agency due to its development of space launch vehicle technologies that have ballistic missile applications. The United States sanctioned the purported civilian space agency, along with two of its research institutions, in 2019 over their support of Iran’s weapons of mass destruction programs.
Iranian military officials sanctioned Monday are: Abdolrahim Mousavi, commander-in chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and a member of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council; Mohammad-Hossein Dadras, deputy commander-in chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army; Hamid Vahedi, commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force; Mohammad Kazemi, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; Habibollah Sayyari, head of the Joint Staff of the Iranian Army and deputy chief for Coordination of the Iranian Army; and Ali-Mohammad Naini, IRGC spokesperson.
Britain has imposed more than 400 sanctions on Iran, including many connected to Tehran’s recent attack on Israel. The sanctions subject those designated to asset freezes and travel bans.
Iran and Israel have long been engaged in a proxy war that exploded into the open on Oct, 7, 2023, when Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza launched a bloody attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 Israelis and saw another 251 kidnapped.
Israel retaliated with a brutal assault on Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Embolden by the conflict, other Iran-proxy militias, notably Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, have sought to take advantage and have attacked Israel as well.
