The move, announced on Monday, comes after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody prompted mass protests both in Iran and overseas.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the sanctions are intended to “send a clear message to the Iranian authorities”, which he accused of “shocking violence” against the country’s people.
Mahsa, from the Iranian Kurdish city of Saqez, died after being arrested in Tehran for wearing “unsuitable attire” by the so-called morality police who enforce the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.
Her death has prompted protests across Iran and internationally, with demonstrators calling for the downfall of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Dozens of people have died in the protests, which have been met with a crackdown by authorities in Iran.
Citing Mahsa’s death and the subsequent protests, the UK government on Monday announced it had sanctioned the morality police in its entirety, as well as both its chief, Mohammed Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi, and the Head of the Tehran Division, Haj Ahmed Mirzaei.
Mr Cleverly said in a statement: “These sanctions send a clear message to the Iranian authorities – we will hold you to account for your repression of women and girls and for the shocking violence you have inflicted on your own people.”
The sanctions were made using laws designed to encourage Iran to comply with international human rights law and respect human rights. They mean that those named cannot travel to the UK and any of their assets held in the UK will be frozen.
Last week, the foreign ministry said it had summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires, Iran’s most senior diplomat in the UK, over the crackdown on the protests.
