Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any UK sanctions are currently in place against Iran; and if so, what they are.

As well as implementing EU autonomous controls for which the UK imposes export controls (dual use goods, nuclear technology, sensitive software and technical assistance etc), the UK also has national export controls that go beyond the EU measures. In particular there are two controls that cover the aviation and marine sectors.

The UK controls are contained on two lists: PL9008 for marine vessels and parts, and PL9009 for aircraft and parts.

These controls are not related to Iran's nuclear programme – they were imposed during the Iran - Iraq war on both countries. The controls have since been removed against Iraq and now apply only to Iran.

These controls do not prohibit the export of these goods but require an export license to be granted before they can be exported. Our controls are in place to minimise the risk of the goods being diverted for military use. A license application would judge whether this risk was great enough to reject it.