Five Individuals Added to Iran Sanctions

Summary#

These final regulations add 5 people to the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations. The listings took effect when the regulations were registered on September 17, 2024 and were published in the Canada Gazette on October 9, 2024.

What it does#

• Adds these five individuals to Schedule 1 of the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations:
  • Mohammad Mokhber
  • Gholam Hossein Esmaili
  • Seyyed Masoud Mirkazemi
  • Siamak Rahpeik (also known by several variant spellings)
  • Ahmad‑Reza Radan
• Once listed, the regulations:
  • prohibit people in Canada and Canadians abroad from dealing with or providing services to the listed people.
  • prevent listed people from accessing property or financial transactions in Canada.
  • make the listed people inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
• The names will be added to Canada’s consolidated sanctions lists and shared with financial institutions for compliance.
• Enforcement can include fines and jail time for knowingly breaking the rules: up to $25,000, up to 1 year on summary conviction, or up to 5 years on indictable conviction.

Who's affected#

• The five named individuals who were added to the sanctions list.
• People and businesses in Canada, and Canadians abroad, who might deal with those individuals. Most Canadian businesses are unlikely to be affected because the government says these people appear to have limited ties to Canada.
• Canadian banks and financial institutions, which must screen for and block dealings with listed persons.
• Border and law-enforcement agencies, such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canada Border Services Agency, which can enforce the measures.

Why it matters#

• These are targeted sanctions aimed at individuals the government says were involved in gross and systematic human rights violations in Iran, especially actions against women and girls.
• In practice, being listed can block access to assets, financial services and travel to Canada.
• The change is part of Canada’s broader diplomatic and sanctions response. It adds pressure on the Iranian officials named, and signals Canada’s position on human-rights abuses.