UK government plans new measures against Iran
Britain on Thursday announced plans for a tougher sanctions regime against Iran over alleged human rights violations and hostile actions against its opponents on UK soil. The new sanctions regime will expand existing penalties imposed by creating new criteria under which individuals and entities can be hit. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told MPs in parliament the "further measures" were "a toolkit that I would prefer not to use". But he said "the decision on whether I do so or whether I do not, is firmly in the hands of the Iranian regime itself". London accuses Iran of stepping up efforts to kill or kidnap perceived enemies of its regime, including in the UK. It says the Iranian intelligence services have developed close relationships with organised criminal gangs in Britain and across Europe to help target opponents. "The Iranian regime is oppressing its own people, exporting bloodshed in Ukraine and the Middle East, and threatening to kill and kidnap on UK soil," Cleverly said in a statement. "Today the UK has sent a clear message to the regime -- we will not tolerate this malign behaviour and we will hold you to account. "Our new sanctions regime will help to ensure there can be no hiding place for those who seek to do us harm," he added. The latest measures add to ones already taken over Tehran's hardline response to protests that have rocked the Islamic republic since the September 2023 death in custody of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old had been arrested for an alleged breach of strict dress rules for women. Demonstrations swept Iran after Amini's death, with at least thousands arrested since then, according to the United Nations and rights groups. Ten months on, Iran was still punishing those suspected of involvement in the mass protests, according to a UN fact-finding mission which reported its findings on Wednesday. (AFP)