The UK strongly condemns Iran's provision of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia, which have been used to kill Ukrainian civilians and attack critical infrastructure. We continue to expose this desperate alliance and hold Iran to account for its support of Russia's illegal war, including by providing evidence at the UN. Since October 2022, we have sanctioned 24 Iranian individuals and entities involved in the manufacture and transfer of UAVs, adding to our existing extensive sanctions on the Iranian drone programme. In December 2023, the new Iran sanctions regime came into force, including new trade restrictions on components used by Iran to manufacture UAVs.

Following Iran's failure to honour its commitment to grant Morad Tahbaz an indefinite furlough from prison, we continue to underline our objection to Iran's behaviour at all available opportunities, both in London and via our Ambassador in Tehran. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon issued a statement on 10 January, the fifth anniversary of Tahbaz's detention, calling on Iran to release him so that he can return to his family in Tehran. Officials and Ministers regularly update the Tahbaz family on our public and private representations: Lord (Tariq) Ahmad met them most recently on 28 June. Morad is a UK-US-Iranian tri-national, and we continue to work closely with the United States to secure his permanent release and departure from Iran.

The Foreign Secretary regularly discusses the potential risk Iran poses to international and regional security with partners. Recently, he discussed this with G20 partners in India and in February, he met with his US, French and German counterparts in Munich to discuss Iran's nuclear escalation. He regularly consults his Israeli and Gulf counterparts including at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain in November 2022. The UK is working with a range of partners to hold Iran to account for breaches of UNSCRs and to address Iranian weapons proliferation.

The execution of Mr Alireza Akbari, a British-Iranian national, was a barbaric act which deserves condemnation in the strongest possible terms. The Government's response - including designating Iran's prosecutor general under our Iran human rights regime and recalling our Ambassador to London for consultations - showed that the UK will not allow Iran's malign actions to go unchallenged. Mr Akbari's execution was a politically-motivated decision which exemplified the Iranian regime's disregard for human life. The UK is continuing our work, alongside partners, to hold the regime to account for its appalling human rights record and the violence it is inflicting on its own citizens.

Iran's supply of weapons, including unmanned aerial vehicles, to state and non-state actors continues to pose a serious threat to international security. Iran's provision of weapons and military support to the Houthis is in clear breach of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2216 and the supply of drones to Russia is in violation on UNSCR 2231. Reporting suggests that Iran was behind a recent UAV attack on Israeli-owned MV Pacific Zircon. We will work with partners to ensure that those responsible are held to account.

The UK has sanctioned over 300 Iranian individuals and entities for their role in weapons proliferation, human rights abuses, and terrorism, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in its entirety. On 20 October, the Government issued new sanctions targeting Iranian individuals and businesses responsible for supplying Russia with drones. We urge Iran to uphold their obligations under international law and cease illegal activity which is escalating the conflict in Ukraine and threatening civilian lives.

The UK condemns Iranian support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has made this clear to Iran including when the Foreign Secretary summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires to the FCDO on 3 October. Iran's supply of drones to Russia is in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231. The UK, alongside France and Germany, raised this in a letter to the UN Secretary General where we supported the Ukrainian call for an investigation into Iran's supply of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia. On 20 October new UK sanctions targeted Iranian individuals and businesses responsible for supplying Russia with drones. We will continue to work with the international community to hold Iran and Russia to account.

On 27 July the Tahbaz family confirmed Morad has been released from Evin prison on furlough and is at their home in Tehran. This welcome development follows intensive diplomatic efforts at all levels, by the UK and our partners. Morad Tahbaz is a UK-US-Iranian tri-national, and we will continue to work closely with the United States to secure his permanent release and departure from Iran. We urge the Government of Iran to end its practice of unfairly detaining British and other foreign nationals, and we will continue to work with likeminded partners to that end.

The Office of Financial Sanctions (OFSI) undertakes an annual frozen assets review, requiring all persons or institutions that hold or control frozen assets in the UK to report to OFSI, from which this figure is taken. The figures are then published in OFSI’s annual review each autumn. The total frozen assets reported in the 2021 annual review were £12.2 billion. The figures for 2021 are being finalised.

As at September 2020, the value of assets reported to OFSI as frozen in the UK under The Iran (Sanctions) (Human Rights) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 was £17.60.

The Foreign Secretary met US Secretary of State Blinken on 9 March and discussed negotiations on restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). They agreed on the urgency of concluding the deal in Vienna. The deal would provide a fair and comprehensive offer of US sanctions-lifting for the benefit of the Iranian people. In exchange, Iran would reverse its nuclear escalation, return its nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits and restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Foreign Secretary also underlined the urgency for concluding this deal in a recent call with Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian, making clear that there would not be a better deal on offer.