Canada Sanctions Five Senior Iranian Officials Over Strait of Hormuz Activities
Ottawa says the sanctions target Iranian officials over activities it says have undermined freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and international peace and security.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Canada’s Foreign Ministry on Friday imposed sanctions on five Iranian individuals, including senior government officials and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), citing their roles in activities that have obstructed freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Canadian Foreign Ministry said the five individuals had been involved in military, legal, and diplomatic activities that undermined international peace, security, and stability.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is essential to global trade and energy security.
“Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is essential to global trade and energy security. These sanctions target individuals whose actions undermine these principles and threaten global economic and energy security,” Anand said.
She also called on Iran to reduce tensions and respect international rights to freedom of navigation.
The Canadian Foreign Ministry said the latest measures bring the total number of Iranian individuals sanctioned by Canada to 232, along with 260 entities.
Canada severed its diplomatic relations with Tehran in 2012, saying at the time that Iran represented the greatest threat to global peace and security and had one of the world’s worst records on human rights violations.