Canada sanctions five Iranians over Hormuz navigation
Shafaq News- Ottawa
Canada imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials and figures on Friday over activities Ottawa said obstructed navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz and threatened international security.
Those sanctioned are Ali Abdollahi, commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters; its spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari; lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi, who heads parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee; Iranian Navy Commander Shahram Irani; and Hamid Hosseini, spokesperson for the Iranian Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters Union.
The sanctions freeze any assets the five may hold in Canada, bar Canadians from dealing with them, and render them inadmissible to the country. The latest measures bring Canada’s Iran sanctions list to 232 individuals and 260 entities.
Canada said Iran announced the closure of Hormuz following US-Israeli attacks on Feb. 28 and subsequently threatened, seized, or targeted commercial vessels. More than 1,500 vessels remain stranded in the Persian Gulf, while around 6,000 seafarers remain aboard ships unable to leave, according to figures cited by Ottawa.
