UK Imposes Sanctions on Iran‑Linked Individuals and Networks Over “Hostile Activities”

Britain has announced a new round of sanctions targeting a dozen individuals and entities allegedly tied to Iranian‑backed hostile operations in the UK and abroad. The measures, unveiled on Monday, include travel bans and asset freezes against nine people, two shadow‑banking exchange houses and the criminal network known as the Zindashti organisation.

London had already sanctioned the network’s alleged leader, Naji Ibrahim Sharifi‑Zindashti, in 2024 alongside the United States, describing him as the head of a major international drug‑trafficking cartel. The European Union followed with its own sanctions last year. Authorities in the UK, US and EU all say the network is linked to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security and accuse it of involvement in assassination and kidnapping plots targeting Tehran’s critics overseas.

The latest British sanctions come amid a series of recent attacks against the Jewish community in the UK and repeated warnings from security officials that hostile states are increasingly relying on criminal proxies.

Among those newly sanctioned is Ekrem Abdulkerym Oztunc, a Turkish national and nephew of Zindashti. The UK also blacklisted five members of the Zarringhalam family Farhad, Fazlolah, Mansour, Nasser and Pouria accusing them of financing efforts to “destabilise” Britain. Three of them were sanctioned by the US last year for their role in Iran’s shadow‑banking operations, which Washington says laundered billions of dollars through front companies.

Britain additionally added Berelian Exchange and GCM Exchange, two Iran‑based exchange houses already sanctioned by the US, to its updated list.

The remaining individuals hit with UK travel bans and asset freezes are Iranians Nihat Abdul Kadir Asan and Reza Hamidiravari, along with Azerbaijani national Namiq Salifov.

The UK government says the measures are part of a broader effort to disrupt foreign‑backed criminal networks operating on British soil and to counter threats linked to Iran’s intelligence apparatus.