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UK sanctions Iranian entities accused of deploying criminal proxies
Britain announced a new sanctions package targeting Iranian entities accused of enabling criminal proxies on UK soil. The measures include asset freezes, director disqualifications and travel bans on specified organisations and individuals. The move is intended to disrupt illicit finance networks and deter Iranian-backed threats overseas.
Why It Matters
The sanctions aim to disrupt Iran-linked criminal activity that could threaten UK security and European stability, while aligning with broader European action to curb Iranian hostile activity.
Timeline
3 Events
Context: FCDO notes sanctions history underpinning the package
May 11, 2026
The FCDO said the latest action follows more than 550 sanctions previously imposed on Iranian individuals and organisations, including the entirety of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and over 90 sanctions in response to human rights violations.
UK FCDO: sanctions align with EU action and target criminal proxies threatening US and Europe
May 11, 2026
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the measures respond to Iranian action against global security and the regime’s use of criminal gangs to carry out threats overseas. The FCDO stated the package aligns with EU action and builds on previous British steps to hold the Iranian regime accountable for hostile activity, including threats to national security. The sanctions aim to prevent criminal proxies from travelling to the UK or accessing assets and to deter actions that threaten security on UK streets and stability in the Middle East, including risks to navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
UK sanctions Berelian Exchange, GCM Exchange and the Zindashti Network
May 11, 2026
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced a new sanctions package on Monday, May 11, 2026, targeting illicit finance flows and criminal proxies believed to operate on behalf of the Iranian state. The measures include asset freezes and director disqualifications for Berelian Exchange, GCM Exchange and the Zindashti Network. Six individuals—Mansour Zarringhalam, Nasser Zarringhalam, Ekrem Abdulkerym Oztunc, Nihat Abdul Kadir Asan, Reza Hamidiravari and Namiq Salifov—were named on a sanctions list that includes travel bans, asset freezes and director disqualification.