UK, US sanction Iranians linked to Quds Force, Palestinian groups

The UK announced on Thursday that it had adopted a new sanctions system against Iran, declaring measures targeting seven individuals, including the commander of the Quds Force in Tehran, due to the threat or planning to destabilize Israel.

The British government indicated that the new system, which it said grants it greater powers to act against Iran and its decision-makers, is in response to "unprecedented threats" from Tehran to peace in the Middle East and conspiracies to kill individuals in Britain.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in a statement, "The behavior of the Iranian regime poses an unacceptable threat to the United Kingdom and our partners."

He added, "It continues to threaten people on UK soil and uses its influence to destabilize the Middle East by supporting armed groups, including (the Islamic Resistance Movement) Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad."

Among those targeted by travel bans and freezing of new assets is Esmail Qaani, the commander of the Quds Force, the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible for allied militias from Lebanon to Iraq and from Yemen to Syria.

The sanctions also included Mohammad Saeed Izadi, the head of the Palestinian office in the Quds Force.

The government stated that the entire Palestinian office is subject to asset freezing, while representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Iran, Khalid al-Qadoumi and Nasser Abu Sharif, respectively, face travel bans and asset freezing.

Reuters