Iran TerrorismBritain freezes assets of five Iranians over alleged plot

Britain freezes assets of five Iranians over alleged plot

-

AFP: Britain has frozen the assets of five Iranian nationals accused by the United States of involvement in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington, the Treasury said Tuesday.

LONDON, October 18, 2011 (AFP) – Britain has frozen the assets of five Iranian nationals accused by the United States of involvement in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington, the Treasury said Tuesday.

The assets of the five — who include two people who have been formally charged by US authorities over the case — were frozen under Britain’s Terrorist Asset-Freezing Act, it said in a statement.

Those affected include Manssor Arbabsiar, 56, an Iranian used-car salesman who is a naturalised US citizen living in Texas and was arrested in the United States last week over the plot, the statement said.

Another is high-ranking Revolutionary Guard official Gholam Shakuri, 47, who is the other person charged over the plot but who is believed to be in Iran, it said.

The others are Qasem Soleimani, Hamed Abdollahi and Abdul Reza Shahlai, who US officials said were senior officers in Iran’s Quds Force involved in the plot.

Soleimani is already listed by the European Union as being involved in providing equipment to help the Syrian regime suppress protests.

US authorities last week froze the assets of the same five individuals.

The US Treasury Department has also hit Iranian airline Mahan Air with sanctions, saying it secretly transported members of a military force accused of involvement in the plot.

Authorities in the United States say the plot involved Arbabsiar allegedly trying to contract a Mexican drug cartel to kill the Saudi ambassador, Adel al-Jubeir, possibly through the bombing of a Washington restaurant.

Iran has repeatedly denied any involvement and claimed the allegations are politically motivated.

Latest news

Growing Calls for the Terrorist Designation of the IRGC

On Monday, April 29, the Iranian regime’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanani, in a weekly press briefing, claimed that...

Iranian Merchants Facing 60% Decline in Sales Due to Presence of Morality Police

Discontent among merchants due to a 60% decrease in sales attributed to the presence of the morality police, exerting...

Dire Living Conditions of Iranian workers on International Labor Day

On the occasion of International Workers' Day, May 1, the dire economic conditions of Iranian workers have reached a...

Only One-Fifth of Iran’s Annual Housing Needs Are Met

Beytollah Setarian, a housing expert, said in an interview that Iran needs one million housing units annually, but only...

Resignation, Job Change, and Nurse Exodus in Iran

The state-run Hame-Mihan newspaper has addressed the problems of the healthcare workforce in Iran, examining issues such as resignations,...

International Monetary Fund: Iran Needs “$121 Oil” to Avoid Budget Deficit

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) states in its latest quarterly report that the Iranian government needs the price of...

Must read

Why Iranian Protesters Are Setting Banks on Fire

By Pooya Stone During recent protests in Iran, protesters...

Shia neighbours improve ties

The Times: Baghdad's increasingly close ties with Tehran —...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you

Exit mobile version