UK sanctions Iranian oil magnate and companies over “destabilising” activities
By Isabella Egerton
The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on Iranian oil magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani and four companies linked to him, accusing them of fuelling Tehran’s overseas operations and contributing to instability in Ukraine, Israel, and the wider Middle East.
The measures, announced by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), include an asset freeze, travel ban, and director disqualification on Shamkhani, alongside asset freezes and director disqualifications on Petrochemical Commercial Company (PCC), Admiral Group, Ocean Leonid Investments, and Milavous Group. The designations were made under the Iran Sanctions Regulations (2023).
“The UK is announcing sanctions against those who operate on behalf of Iran, fuelling its attempts to undermine stability in the Middle East and global security,” said Britain’s Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer. “Iran’s reliance on revenues from trading networks and connected organisations enables it to carry out its destabilising activities, including supporting proxies and partners across the region and facilitating state threats on UK soil. That’s why this government has taken steps to expose this behaviour and send a clear message to those who act on behalf of Iran. Disrupting Iran’s malign influence and keeping the British people safe remains our number one priority, underpinned by our Plan for Change. We are clear that we will continue to hold Iran to account, and these designations mark a definitive step in doing so.”
Shamkhani, the son of an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, could not be reached for comment. The Iranian embassy in London condemned the sanctions, describing them as “unilateral and illegal” and dismissing the allegations as “baseless.”
The United States, which sanctioned Shamkhani last month, has described him as controlling a vast network of container ships and tankers through intermediaries distributing Iranian and Russian oil and other goods worldwide. Several of the UK-sanctioned companies were cited for acting on Shamkhani’s direction or behalf. The European Union also sanctioned him in July.
British lawmakers have warned that Iran poses a growing and multifaceted threat to the UK. While it does not yet rival the challenges posed by Russia or China, parliamentarians have cautioned that the government remains ill-prepared. Threats identified include physical attacks, potential assassinations targeting dissidents and Jewish communities, espionage, offensive cyber operations, and nuclear development.
To date, the UK has sanctioned more than 450 Iranian individuals and entities in response to the regime’s human rights violations, nuclear weapons programme, and malign influence internationally.
Key sanctions measures:
- Asset freeze: Prevents any UK citizen or business from dealing with funds or economic resources owned, held, or controlled by the designated person, or providing funds to or for their benefit. Applies to all persons in the UK and all UK persons worldwide.
- Travel ban: Designated individuals are refused leave to enter or remain in the UK as an excluded person under section 8B of the Immigration Act 1971.
- Director disqualification: Makes it an offence for a designated individual to act as a director of a UK company, or a foreign company sufficiently connected to the UK, or participate in its management, formation, or promotion.
A full list of the designations is available on the UK Sanctions List.
