UK Sanctions Iranian Banker Aliakbar Ansari for Supporting IRGC Financing
London imposes asset freeze, travel ban and director disqualification on Ansari identified as financier for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps
The UK government has sanctioned Iranian banker and businessman Aliakbar Ansari, citing his role in providing financial support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
According to a statement by the UK’s Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, the IRGC’s “use of repression and targeted threats to carry out hostile acts, including here in the UK, is completely unacceptable.”
Legal measures taken against Ansari include an asset freeze, a travel ban and disqualification from directorship.
He is described as a major shareholder in the private Iranian lender Bank Ayandeh, which Iran’s central bank recently dissolved following steep losses and regulatory breaches.
The UK sanctions list update—issued on 30 October 2025—does not yet provide full details of Ansari’s network or how funds were channelled to the IRGC.
Bank Ayandeh collapsed amid mounting debts of some US$2.9 billion and losses of about US$5.2 billion, according to recent reporting, signalling broader strain in Iran’s private banking sector under the weight of sanctions and inflation.
Ansari’s involvement in the bank and other commercial ventures reportedly links him to funding activities that the UK deems harmful to UK, regional and international security.
This latest designation follows a pattern of UK action targeting individuals and entities engaging in “hostile” activities on behalf of Iran’s defence- and intelligence-linked networks.
In May the UK government announced plans to proscribe state-backed organisations such as the IRGC for running operations on UK soil and beyond.
Analysts say the Ansari measure underlines London’s willingness to move beyond military leaders and target the financial underpinnings of Iran’s security apparatus.
While Tehran has not issued an official response to this specific sanction, past Iranian reactions have described similar actions as politically motivated and “hostile”.
The impact of the sanction on Ansari’s assets and his remaining role in Iran’s banking sector remain to be seen, but from London’s standpoint the designation signals a broader campaign to sever financial flows supporting the IRGC’s global operations.
According to a statement by the UK’s Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, the IRGC’s “use of repression and targeted threats to carry out hostile acts, including here in the UK, is completely unacceptable.”
Legal measures taken against Ansari include an asset freeze, a travel ban and disqualification from directorship.
He is described as a major shareholder in the private Iranian lender Bank Ayandeh, which Iran’s central bank recently dissolved following steep losses and regulatory breaches.
The UK sanctions list update—issued on 30 October 2025—does not yet provide full details of Ansari’s network or how funds were channelled to the IRGC.
Bank Ayandeh collapsed amid mounting debts of some US$2.9 billion and losses of about US$5.2 billion, according to recent reporting, signalling broader strain in Iran’s private banking sector under the weight of sanctions and inflation.
Ansari’s involvement in the bank and other commercial ventures reportedly links him to funding activities that the UK deems harmful to UK, regional and international security.
This latest designation follows a pattern of UK action targeting individuals and entities engaging in “hostile” activities on behalf of Iran’s defence- and intelligence-linked networks.
In May the UK government announced plans to proscribe state-backed organisations such as the IRGC for running operations on UK soil and beyond.
Analysts say the Ansari measure underlines London’s willingness to move beyond military leaders and target the financial underpinnings of Iran’s security apparatus.
While Tehran has not issued an official response to this specific sanction, past Iranian reactions have described similar actions as politically motivated and “hostile”.
The impact of the sanction on Ansari’s assets and his remaining role in Iran’s banking sector remain to be seen, but from London’s standpoint the designation signals a broader campaign to sever financial flows supporting the IRGC’s global operations.
