Hemmati: Banks Restricted by Britain Have Had No Iran Business for Years

Abdolnaser Hemmati, governor of the Central Bank of Iran, on Thursday, September 24, 2026 responded to the British government's decision to tighten financial restrictions on five Iranian banks operating in the UK. According to IRNA, as republished by Donya-e-Eqtesad, Hemmati said some of these banks have had no Iran-related banking activity for years because of US sanctions, and described the move as falling in line with Washington's economic pressure policy.

The governor added that the central bank itself had planned to impose restrictions on inactive Iranian bank branches abroad to cut their costs. The names of the five banks and the details of the British decision were not given in his remarks.