UK Sanctions 12 Iranian-Linked Individuals and Entities Over Alleged Assassination and Destabilisation Network

Britain imposed sanctions on 12 individuals and entities on Monday, 11 May 2026, accusing them of planning attacks on UK soil and conducting operations of transnational repression on behalf of the Iranian government. The measures — comprising asset freezes, travel bans, and director disqualification orders — represent the latest escalation in a sustained British campaign targeting what London describes as Iranian-backed hostile activity.

The Zindashti Network at the Centre of the Designations

The most significant entity sanctioned is the Zindashti Network, already designated by the European Union last year. The EU has stated the network has “carried out numerous acts of transnational repression” for the Iranian government, including kidnappings and assassinations of regime critics abroad.

The network’s alleged leader, Naji Ibrahim Sharifi-Zindashti, was previously sanctioned by both the UK and the United States in 2024. The US has described him as a narcotics trafficker operating at the direction of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).

Also newly designated is Reza Hamidiravari, 62, identified as an MOIS officer said to oversee Zindashti’s operations, including the targeting of dissidents. The FBI has sought Hamidiravari in connection with an alleged plot to murder two individuals in the state of Maryland.

Shadow Banking and Illicit Finance

Five members of the Zarringhalam family — Farhad, Fazlolah, Mansour, Nasser, and Pouria — were sanctioned for allegedly financing efforts to destabilise the UK. The US Treasury sanctioned three of them last year, accusing the trio of collectively laundering “billions of dollars” for Iran through front companies in the UAE and Hong Kong.

Two exchange houses linked to the family’s network, Berelian Exchange and GCM Exchange, were also designated on Monday.

Logistical Operatives Across Multiple Nationalities

Among those accused of “threatening, planning or conducting attacks” in the UK or elsewhere are Ekrem Oztunc, a Turkish national; Namiq Salifov, an Azerbaijani national; and Nihat Abdul Kadir Asan, 44, an Iranian national described by the EU as a close Zindashti associate who “played a pivotal role in logistical planning for many of the network’s assassination attempts.”

A Pattern of Documented Killings and Abductions

London, Washington, and Brussels have collectively attributed a series of killings and abductions to the Zindashti Network. Among the documented victims is Jamshid Sharmahd, an Iranian-German activist and US resident who was abducted while travelling abroad in 2020, sentenced to death by an Iranian court in 2023 — in proceedings the US condemned as a sham — and executed the following year.

In 2017, Saeed Karimian, a British-Iranian dissident who used his Gem TV satellite channel to broadcast content critical of the Iranian regime, was shot and killed in Istanbul. Zindashti was arrested in connection with the killing but released after six months, triggering a legal controversy in Turkey.

Broader Context: Escalating Pressure on Tehran

The UK government stated it would fast-track Home Office state-threats legislation to address the risks posed by hostile state actors. The Minister for the Middle East has summoned the Iranian Ambassador three times this year, most recently on 28 April.

Britain has now imposed more than 550 sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities, including the entirety of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and over 90 designations in response to human rights violations.

The sanctions were announced as Britain and France prepared to co-host a meeting of 40 defence ministers on Tuesday to discuss the protection of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has maintained a blockade. The UK also raised its national terrorism threat level to “severe” — the second-highest rating — following arson attacks on Jewish targets in London and growing concern about foreign state-linked hostile activity.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the measures “directly target organisations and individuals who threaten security on UK streets and stability in the Middle East,” adding that “criminal proxies backed by parts of the Iranian regime who threaten security in the UK and Europe will not be tolerated.”

Iran has repeatedly denied involvement in attacks or alleged plots on UK soil and in other countries.