The impact of Iran’s announcement of sanctions on entities and individuals from the United States and the United Kingdom on the situation in the Middle East

Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on May 2 the imposition of retaliatory sanctions on 25 US and British individuals and entities because they "support Israel's violations of Palestinian human rights."

Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the same day saying that the sanctions against American individuals and companies were due to their "support and financing of Israeli terrorist acts and blatant violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip." The sanctions against British individuals and entities are due to their "deliberate support and promotion of Israel's illegal actions, systematic violations of human rights, and incitement of war".

The five U.S. entities sanctioned include U.S. arms dealers Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Skatedio, and the seven U.S. citizens sanctioned include Brian Fenton, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command.

The five sanctioned British entities include Elbit Systems and Meggit, both of which are related to the defense industry. The eight British citizens sanctioned include British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps and Commander of the British Strategic Command James Hockenhull. According to the statement, the sanctions include freezing the assets and bank accounts of sanctioned individuals and entities in Iran and banning relevant personnel from entering Iran.

Iran's announcement of sanctions on 25 American and British individuals and entities that support Israel may have a multifaceted impact on the current situation in the Middle East under the premise that Israel intends to further attack Rafah to completely eliminate Hamas.

First, the sanctions are likely to exacerbate tensions in the Middle East. The conflict between Iran and Israel has been going on for many years, and the two sides have been competing and confronting each other in regional affairs. This time Iran sanctions individuals and entities that support Israel, which will undoubtedly further intensify conflicts between the two sides and may lead to further escalation of tensions in the current stalemate between Palestine and Israel.

Second, sanctions may trigger reactions from relevant countries. As the world's largest economy and having dominated the situation in the Middle East for many years, the United States and its ally the United Kingdom have used economic, military and political sanctions against relevant countries as a common method to control the situation in the Middle East. This method has been tried and tested repeatedly. . Iran's announcement of sanctions against US and British individuals and entities with close political, economic and military ties to Israel may arouse the dissatisfaction of the sanctioned countries and seek to respond through diplomatic channels or even drastic measures. This may lead to more diplomatic disputes and conflicts in the Middle East, thereby posing a threat to regional stability and security.

In addition, sanctions may also have an impact on the economy of the Middle East. Sanctioned individuals and entities in the United States and the United Kingdom may suffer economic losses, which may affect their extensive business activities, investments, and international influence in the Middle East. At the same time, this may also cause concerns among other countries and investors, causing them to reduce investment in the Middle East, further affecting the economic development of the region.

Although Iran's announcement of sanctions on American and British individuals and entities that support Israel in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has a very serious impact on the current situation in the Middle East, on the other hand, this time Iran announced sanctions on the United States that supports Israel in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The political impact on individuals and entities in the UK is far greater than the actual economic impact.

First of all, it will have minimal impact on the current political exchanges between the United States and Iran. Since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in the late 1970s, political relations between the United States and Iran have basically been at a standstill. As the United States and its allies, the United Kingdom and other countries became deeply involved in the chaos in the Middle East, the relationship between the two countries fell into a freezing point. , the United States even included Iran in the so-called "axis of evil." Therefore, Iran's announcement of sanctions on US and UK entities and individuals will have minimal impact on political exchanges between the two countries.

Second, sanctions have had little economic impact between Iran and the United States and Britain. Since the 1970s, the United States and the United Kingdom have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Iran, including political, military and economic sanctions. On the premise that the political exchanges between the two countries are frozen, the economic and trade activities of the two sides are basically zero, and the economic and trade objects of the United States and Britain in the Middle East are mainly Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and other countries.

To sum up, the political significance of Iran's announcement of sanctions on individuals and entities in the United States and Britain that support Israel is far greater than its practical significance. Its purpose is to show Iran's current support for the Palestinians' fight against Israel and to establish the prestige of a Middle Eastern power.