By Tony O’Reilly-
Britain has imposed sanctions on two Iranian officials accused of threatening to kill two journalists on British soil.
The two men are members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps which an ITV investigation said was involved in plots to assassinate two television presenters from news channel Iran International in the UK.
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At least 15 such threats are said to have been made since January 2022.
The sanctions were imposed in conjunction with the United States, and also target others believed to be part of international criminal gangs linked to Iran, Britain’s Foreign Office said.
They include four individuals accused of killing an Iranian dissident in Turkey and the head of an international drugs cartel who allegedly planned or conducted overseas attacks.
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The sanctions come amid increased tensions in the Middle East since Hamas started a war with Israel on Oct 7.
Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, said: “The Iranian regime and the criminal gangs who operate on its behalf pose an unacceptable threat to the UK’s security.
“Today’s package exposes the roles of the Iranian officials and gangs involved in activity aimed to undermine, silence and disrupt the democratic freedoms we value in the UK.
“The UK and US have sent a clear message – we will not tolerate this threat.”
Matthew Miller, spokesman for the US Department of State, said it was taking joint action with the UK to impose sanctions on 11 people “for their connection to a criminal network that has targeted foreign dissidents and Iranian regime opponents for assassination at the behest of Iran’s ministry of intelligence and security”.
He added: “The individuals designated today are believed to be involved in a network that has carried out acts of transnational repression, including numerous assassinations and kidnappings, and has also plotted operations in the United States.
“The United States will continue to use all available tools to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its attempts to extend its repression internationally as well as its ongoing human rights abuses against its own people and its actions to sow instability in the Middle East region and beyond.”
The news comes as Joe Biden, the US president, blamed Iran-backed militias for Sunday’s deadly drone attack on Tower 22, a remote logistics outpost in Jordan near the Syrian border.
Three US service personnel were killed and at least 34 were injured – the first American fatalities since the start of the war in Gaza.
He said that America “shall respond” as Iran-backed fighters in eastern Syria reportedly began evacuating their posts fearing air strikes.
Earlier, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was worried about tensions in the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters on a trip to the North East, he said: “We are concerned and would urge Iran to continue to de-escalate tensions in the region.
“We absolutely condemn what has happened over the past couple of days.
“My thoughts are with all of those impacted, those who lost their lives, their families and those that are injured.
“We stand resolutely with our allies to bring stability and peace to the region. And that’s what we’ll continue to work towards.” ‘We stand with our US allies’.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman declined to comment on whether it would back any US reprisals, but said: “We will stand with our US allies in our continued and shared fight against terrorism.”
He insisted that Britain was working to “ensure regional stability” and was “very alive” to the desire for some groups to stoke instability.
Sir Keir Starmer said those behind the drone strike should be “held to account” but expressed fears about the febrile situation widening.
The Labour leader added: “I am concerned about the possibility of escalation of an already dangerous situation in the Middle East.
“So we have to see this in that context and do everything that we can to ensure there isn’t escalation of the conflict, and on the contrary, that we find ways to bring this conflict to the immediate
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