Wall Street Journal: The U.K. will announce that it is imposing sanctions on Iranian financial institutions, joining the U.S. in putting further pressure on Tehran after recent disclosures about its alleged role in terrorism and nuclear-weapons proliferation, people familiar with the matter said.
The Wall Street Journal
By ALISTAIR MACDONALD And JAY SOLOMON
LONDON—The U.K. will announce that it is imposing sanctions on Iranian financial institutions, joining the U.S. in putting further pressure on Tehran after recent disclosures about its alleged role in terrorism and nuclear-weapons proliferation, people familiar with the matter said.
Britain will announce to Parliament as early as Monday that it is placing sanctions on a number of financial institutions, including Iran’s central bank, these people said.
The U.S. on Monday will name Iran, including its central bank, as a territory of “primary money laundering concern,” according to people familiar with the matter. It will also place sanctions against “dozens” of Iranian companies and organizations that are allegedly involved in supporting Tehran’s nuclear program, including its development of centrifuge machines and a plutonium-producing reactor in the city of Arak. Britain’s sanctions are more aimed at cutting off funds from the program by sanctioning banks that it believes are helping in its financing.
The U.K. has been one of the most vocal critics of Iran’s nuclear program and alleged sponsoring of regional terrorism. Senior British officials fear that a nuclear Iran would trigger a nuclear arms race in the Arab world as Saudi Arabia and even Egypt seek to catch up. Like the U.S., Britain has never ruled out backing military action against Iran in a bid to stop its nuclear program, though it would rather use peaceful means to achieve this.
