Canada is imposing another round of sanctions against the Iranian regime—this time, on its new security chief, along with six other Iranians accused of destabilizing the Middle East and Ukraine.
Ali Akbar Ahmadian, a former commander of the navy division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, is listed as one of the seven being sanctioned, according to a
news release from Global Affairs Canada on Aug. 8.
Others include Abdolkarim Bani Tarafi, a brigadier general in Iran’s Army and chairman of the Iran Aviation Industry Organization; executives at
Imen Sanat Zaman Fara, an Iranian firm that manufactures equipment for Iran’s law enforcement units; and executives at
Qods Aviation Industries, an Iranian state-owned aerospace firm that specializes in designing and manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles.
Global Affairs says the seven are involved in activities that “gravely threaten” international peace and security or that constitute “gross and systemic violations” of human rights in Iran.
The activities include supplying materials to Iran’s national Law Enforcement Command, and producing lethal combat drones used by Iran’s armed forces to “destabilize the region or that are exported to Russia for use in its illegal war against Ukraine,” the release said.
‘Will Not Tolerate’
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says the new sanctions aim to keep Ottawa in line with European and American allies, so those facing sanctions don’t see Canada as a safe haven for their assets.“Today’s sanctions send a clear message to the Iranian regime that Canada will not tolerate its gross and systematic violations of human rights and its ongoing grave breach of international peace and security,” she said in the release.
“We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to respond to Iran’s egregious actions.”
This is the federal government’s 13th round of sanctions against Iranian officials since October 2022. The sanctions aim to prevent these officials from entering Canada and freeze any assets they hold in the country under the
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
To date, Canada has sanctioned 170 Iranian individuals and 192 Iranian entities, including the IRGC and key members of the regime’s security, intelligence, and economic apparatuses, the release said.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
