US and UK impose sanctions on network targeting Iranian dissidents

The US and UK impose sanctions on a network accused of targeting Iranian dissidents and activists for assassination

In a joint announcement on Monday, the United States and Britain unveiled sanctions against a network accused of targeting Iranian dissidents and activists for assassination. The group, allegedly operating under the directives of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), has been implicated in a series of assassinations and kidnappings spanning multiple jurisdictions, according to the US Treasury Department.

The US Treasury named five individuals associated with the network, including Naji Ibrahim Sharifi-Zindashti, identified as a narcotics trafficker. The network, linked to murders in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Canada, and Turkey, has also been reported to have planned operations in the United States.

Simultaneously, the United Kingdom issued a separate notice, announcing sanctions on seven individuals and one organization. This includes senior Iranian officials and members of organized criminal gangs collaborating with the regime. The move comes in response to reported plots by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Unit 840 to assassinate two television presenters from the news channel Iran International on UK soil.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron emphasized the unacceptable threat posed by the Iranian regime and its affiliated criminal gangs to the UK’s security. “The UK and US have sent a clear message – we will not tolerate this threat,” he stated.

Brian Nelson, the US Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, highlighted the Iranian regime’s ongoing efforts to target dissidents and activists. He characterized these actions as indicative of the regime’s deep insecurity and its attempt to extend domestic repression to an international scale.

Source: AFP