Canada Imposes Additional Sanctions on Iran

The government of Canada announced Saturday that it is imposing additional sanctions on Iran, citing what it described as Tehran’s role in threatening international peace and security.

In a statement published on its official website, the Canadian government said the new measures add seven individuals to Schedule 1 of the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations. The individuals are accused of being directly or indirectly involved in activities directed by Iran that undermine international peace, security or stability.

Ottawa stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran “continues to pose a serious threat to international peace and security” through destabilizing activities across the Middle East and globally.

The statement pointed to what it described as malicious actions by Iranian security forces and ongoing support for non-state militias and armed groups designated as terrorist entities, collectively referred to as the “Axis of Resistance.”

According to the government, Iran’s support for proxy groups designated as terrorist organizations by Canada — including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi movement in Yemen — includes financial assistance, weapons supplies, technology transfers, training and ideological and political backing.

The statement also accused Iran of repressing dissent and human rights defenders domestically through killings, threats, violence, surveillance and arbitrary arrests. It further alleged that Tehran engages in transnational repression by targeting perceived opponents abroad.

With the latest announcement, Canada said it has now sanctioned a total of 478 Iranian individuals and entities within Iran’s security, intelligence and economic sectors under the Special Economic Measures Act and the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act. Most of these measures have been imposed since 2022.

The sanctions include a dealings ban, effectively freezing any assets held in Canada by listed individuals. They also prohibit Canadians at home and abroad from making property or funds available to sanctioned persons. Those listed become inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Tensions between the two countries have escalated in recent years. On December 30, 2025, Iran’s Foreign Ministry designated the Royal Canadian Navy a “terrorist organization,” in response to Canada’s June 2024 decision to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity.

Since October 2022, Canada has introduced multiple rounds of sanctions targeting Iranian officials and entities linked to the Revolutionary Guard and other state institutions. Diplomatic relations between Canada and Iran have been severed since 2012, when Ottawa said Tehran represented a threat to global peace.