UK imposes sanctions on banker financing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps

The United Kingdom (UK) has imposed sanctions on an individual who provided financial assistance to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Britain's Middle East minister Hamish Falconer announced.

The sanctions include an asset freeze and an entry ban on Iranian banker Ali Akbar Ansari, Caliber.Az reports, citing the UK government.

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is one of the most powerful military organisations in Iran, reporting directly to the Supreme Leader. Its use of repression and targeted threats to carry out hostile acts, including here in the UK, is completely unacceptable. We will continue to take action to call out and tackle such behaviour,” said Hamish Falconer.

He added that the introduction of new sanctions sends a clear message that the United Kingdom will not tolerate threats from the IRGC and will act decisively using the most effective measures available.

Since the UK introduced its dedicated Iran sanctions framework in 2023 under the Iran (Sanctions) Regulations 2023, it has designated more than 500 individuals and entities connected to Tehran’s military, nuclear, and proxy-network operations.

As early as February 2024, Britain imposed sanctions targeting specific IRGC units accused of enabling the Houthis' missile and drone campaign in the Red Sea, in coordination with the United States.

In May 2025, the UK government announced plans to go further by proposing legislation to formally proscribe state-backed organisations such as the IRGC as terrorist entities — citing gaps in current counter-terrorism legislation when dealing with state-linked threats.

By Jeyhun Aghazada