Turkey freezes assets of Iranian individuals and entities under UN sanctions framework
Iran’s neighbour Turkey announced it has frozen the assets of 11 individuals and 21 entities with connections to Iran’s nuclear programme, implementing measures required under United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The asset freezes follow the reimposition of UN ‘snapback’ sanctions against Iran on 27 September, triggered by France, Germany and the United Kingdom after the International Atomic Energy Agency found Iran in violation of its nuclear commitments under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday signed a decree reimposing UN Security Council resolutions on weapons proliferation, according to Turkey’s Official Gazette.
Among those listed are several Iranian nationals identified as connected to the country’s nuclear programme, including a pilot at the Natanz enrichment facility, an official linked to the Atomic Energy Organisation, the general director of the Uranium Enrichment Facilities Company, and the head of the Isfahan Nuclear Fuel Research and Production Centre.
The entities designated on Turkey’s updated list include the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, Bank Sepah and Bank Sepah International, Esfahan Nuclear Fuel Research and Production Centre, Karaj Nuclear Research Centre, and Novin Energy Company, among others.
The timing of Turkey’s asset freeze is notable given the country’s significant economic ties with Iran, with bilateral trade at about $16 billion this year, and Ankara’s historical role in facilitating Iranian trade despite Western sanctions.
Turkey’s state-owned Halkbank faces US criminal charges for allegedly helping Iran secretly transfer $20 billion of restricted funds through money servicers and front companies in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to evade sanctions, in what US prosecutors have described as one of the most serious Iran sanctions violations in American history.
The bank recently filed a petition with the US Supreme Court seeking to overturn lower court rulings that would allow its prosecution to proceed. A US appeals court ruled in October 2024 that the bank can be prosecuted despite its claims of sovereign immunity.
Turkey’s measure comes as the country maintains its NATO membership while navigating complex relations with Iran. The day after Erdoğan signed the order, Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh met with Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler in Ankara to discuss bilateral defence relations and regional security issues.
‘The points of commonality between Iran and Turkey are so vast that the differences appear insignificant in comparison; however, the enemies have always sought to magnify these differences and downplay the commonalities,’ Nasirzadeh said during the meeting, according to Iranian state media.
The presidential decision took effect upon publication and is administered by Turkey’s Treasury and Finance Ministry.
https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2025/10/20251001-13.htm
