Iran: UK parliament's push to ban Iranians unconstructive

Iran has warned the UK parliament of its “unconstructive” push to impose sanctions on some Iranian individuals, saying it will only add more complications to the existing situation.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was reacting on Friday to a move by British parliamentarians to read out the names of three Iranians who they believe should be added to the sanctions list over ‘human rights’ accusations.

He said Iran is informed about British parliamentarians' push to ban three Iranian citizens. "We strongly reject the baseless and unfounded accusations leveled against our compatriots."

The Iranian official emphasized that the British government is certainly aware that any unconstructive measure in this case and similar ones will "directly complicate the circumstances."

During the Wednesday session of Britain's House of Commons, Labour MP Chris Bryant, who co-chairs the UK’s All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Magnitsky Sanctions, read a list of Iranian individuals, including Ali Rezvani, a reporter and producer working for Iran’s official Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).