ICYMI: Western Governments Adopt UANI Recommendations for Sanctions

(New York, NY) – This year, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)’s Top 10 Iran Sanctions product has identified a range of individuals and entities directly connected to the Islamic Republic of Iran who should be sanctioned by the United States and its allies. The UANI Top 10 Iran Sanctions list is a periodic table of potential designations that the organization releases with actionable ideas. The United States and the United Kingdom (U.K.) have in recent months both accepted UANI’s recommendations and subsequently sanctioned these individuals and entities.

UANI called for sanctions against Majid Mousavi, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Deputy Commander, in the January 2024 edition of its Top 10 Sanctions Targets list, compiled by Policy Director Jason Brodsky and IRGC Research Director Kasra Aarabi. On September 10, the U.K. announced sanctions against Mousavi as part of wider action against Iran and Russia, following the Iranian regime’s transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia. The IRGC Aerospace Force is responsible for lethal operations against European nationals, including the attack on the Mercer Street vessel, which killed two Europeans in 2021. 

Javad Ghaffari, Head of IRGC’s Intelligence Organization’s Special Operations Division, appeared on the same UANI list in January and was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department on September 18. A former commander of Iranian regime forces in Syria, where he was named the “Butcher of Aleppo,” Ghaffari was also head of the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization’s Special Operations Division (Unit 4000) and was behind a series of failed plots to harm Israelis, including in Turkey.

Abdolfatah Ahvazian, IRGC Advisor to IRGC Quds Force Commander—also on the UANI January list—and a prominent enabler of Hamas, has sought to exploit U.N.-linked NGO channels to deliver such IRGC material support to Gaza. A former advisor to the late IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, Ahvazian was also sanctioned by the U.K. on September 2. 

In February’s Top 10 Sanctions Targets, UANI called for action against Hossein Shamkhani, CEO of Admiral Group Shipping Company, and a leading figure in the Islamic Republic’s efforts to evade oil and gas sanctions. UANI’s recommendation triggered a series of investigative reports in Bloomberg News in August 2024 and October 2024, revealing the shadowy businesses Shamkhani employs internationally. In November, Bloomberg News reported that the U.S. Treasury Department has been scrutinizing the activities of Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, who is an IRGC commander who served as secretary of the regime’s Supreme National Security Council. 

In August’s New Lines Magazine,UANI experts Kasra Aarabi and Saeid Golkar profiled Ali-Mohammad Naini, IRGC Spokesperson and psychological warfare and soft war expert, whose appointment gave a clear indication of the IRGC’s strategic goals. On October 14, the U.K. announced sanctions against a number of Iranian individuals—including Naini—and organizations in response to Iran’s ongoing dangerous and destabilizing activity across the Middle East.