The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned 10 Iranian officials, two Iranian intelligence actors and two other Iranian entities related to the ongoing crackdown on protests in Iran and the Iranian government’s efforts to disrupt digital freedom, according to an Oct. 26 press release.
The EU is considering another set of sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities shortly after adding more names to its Iran restrictions list following the rising number of Iranian-made drones used in Russian attacks throughout Ukraine, Bloomberg reported Oct. 18. Ukraine has proffered several reports and intelligence assessments showing Iran likely delivered the drones to Russia during the summer to be used in the war in Ukraine. Iran has denied providing the drones, and EU member states want more proof before adding Iranian sanctions, Bloomberg said. The EU likely will make progress toward added sanctions this week, the report said.
The EU added 11 individuals and four entities to its Iran sanctions regime, the European Council said in an Oct. 17 news release. The newly listed parties include those involved in the death of Mahsa Amini, who was killed after her arrest for violating the country's strict veiling laws, and in the subsequent violent response to the protests in Iran. The council listed Mohammad Rostami and Hajahmad Mirzaei, key figures in Iran's Morality Police, along with Issa Zarepour, the Iranian minister of information and communications technology, for his role in shutting down the internet. They are subject to an asset freeze and travel ban. The EU also designated the Iranian Law Enforcement Forces and a number of its local chiefs for repressing the protests. The totals under the Iran sanctions regime now stand at 97 individuals and eight entities.
The EU Parliament Oct. 6 called for the EU to impose sanctions on Iranian officials following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and the subsequent violence committed against protesters after her death. Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman, was killed while in custody of Iran's "morality police" after violating the country's strict veiling laws. She died in a Tehran hospital three days after suffering injuries from physical abuse while in custody. "The EU must sanction Iranian officials involved in the regime’s repression," the parliament said. The U.S. and Canada have already designated individuals and entities linked to Amini's death and the later human rights violations committed following her passing (see 2209220029).
Oil exports from Iran have dipped in recent months given greater competition from Russia in the Asian market, Bloomberg reported. Dropping from a peak of 1 million barrels of crude oil exports a day to an average of 750,000 barrels, Iran's exports are dealing with direct competition from Russia in countries such as China. The competition has forced Tehran to constantly review and adjust its prices, Bloomberg said.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, urged the Biden administration this week to back away from nuclear deal negotiations with Iran (see 2207120033), saying the U.S. won’t get a “remotely adequate nuclear deal” out of the process. “For months, Iran has deliberately wasted time by keeping the door open for talks while its nuclear program charges forward,” McCaul said in an Aug. 4 statement. “The administration needs to wake up to this farce and pull the plug.”
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The U.K. made took sanctions actions June 14, amending or correcting entries under its Iran (Nuclear), Russia, and ISIL and al-Qaida sanctions regimes. Under the Iran sanctions list, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended the entry for Parvis Fatah, an officer of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps. Under the Russia sanctions regime, OFSI amended 39 entries and corrected an additional three, still subjecting all entries to an asset freeze. The 39 entries consist of 23 individuals and 16 entities and include military officials, businesspeople and media figures. The three corrected entries are for Ilya Kiva, former member of the Ukrainian parliament; Maxim Alekseevich Parshin, member of the Donetsk People's Council; and Ooo Volga Group. For the ISIL sanctions list, OFSI amended listing information for Mochammad Achwan, Taha Ibrahim Abdallah Bakr Al Khuwayt, Amir Muhammad Sa'id Abdal-Rahman Al-Salbi, Mounir Ben Dhaou Ben Brahim Ben Helal, Muhammad Sholeh Ibrahim and Aris Sumarsono.
Switzerland dropped Ahmad Zargar, Mohammad Hejazi and Seyyed Hasan Firuzabadi from its Iran sanctions regime, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs said in a May 24 amendment. The three individuals were also delisted by the EU and the U.K.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is designating the international oil smuggling and money laundering network led by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force officials, according to a May 25 news release. The network has overseen the sale of "hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil" for both the IRGC-QF and for Hezbollah, the Treasury Department said. IRGC-QF official Behnam Shahriyari and former IRGC-QF official Rostam Ghasemi head the network, backed by "senior levels of the Russian Federation government and state-run economic organs," Treasury said. The network has acted as a "critical element of Iran’s oil revenue generation," and support for proxy militant groups in the region.