Iran issued sanctions on several American and British individuals and entities for supporting Israel in its war against the Palestinian group Hamas on Thursday. The Iran foreign ministry has informed about the sanctions in a released statement.
In the statement, Iran’s sanctions have targeted seven Americans, including General Bryan P. Fenton, commander of the US special operations command, and Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, a former commander of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet. Furthermore, penalties have been announced against US firms Lockheed Martin and Chevron, along with their British counterparts Elbit Systems, Parker Meggitt, and Rafael UK.
The sanctions also extend to British officials and entities, including Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps, Commander of the British Army Strategic Command James Hockenhull, and the UK Royal Navy in the Red Sea.
According to the ministry, the sanctions encompass “blocking of accounts and transactions in the Iranian financial and banking systems, blocking of assets within the jurisdiction of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the prohibition of visa issuance and entry to the Iranian territory”. The impact of these measures on the targeted individuals or entities, as well as their assets or dealings with Iran, remains unclear though
The war in the Gaza Strip erupted after the October 7 attack by Palestinian Hamas operatives on Israel which killed 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. While Iran is known to back Hamas, it has denied any direct involvement in the attack.
