Ballistic missiles to Russia: US, Europe sanction Iran

The United States, Britain, France and Germany said on Tuesday that Iran had transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine and that fresh sanctions would swiftly follow as a result. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement during a visit to London at a press conference with his British counterpart, David Lammy. 

"Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine, against Ukrainians," Blinken said. "The supply of Iranian missiles enables Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets that are further from the front line."

Blinken and Lammy are set to travel on to Kyiv on Wednesday. 

The governments of France, Britain and Germany issued a joint statement condemning the alleged transfer of missiles, calling it "an escalation by both Iran and Russia," and "a direct threat to European security."  

Aviation sector targeted in new sanctions

They said they had made it clear during repeated warnings in recent weeks that "new and significant measures against Iran" would follow if the deliveries took place. 

"We will be taking immediate steps to cancel bilateral air services with Iran. In addition, we will pursue the designations of significant entities and individuals involved with Iran's ballistic missile program and the transfer of ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia. We will also work towards imposing sanctions on Iran Air," the governments said. 

Blinken had also outlined similar plans on the part of the US, again with a focus on Iran Air and aviation.

An updated sanctions list on the US Treasury Department website details new sanctions imposed on 10 Iranian nationals and five Iranian companies in the transportation and propulsion industries with alleged links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and to Russia.

Several Russian organizations were also sanctioned for "their intent to use [Iranian] weapons systems" against Ukraine, as well as five Russian vessels involved in transporting military supplies from Iran to Russia. 

Washington also sanctioned Iranian airline Iran Air "for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy," the Treasury Department said in a statement.

The UK said it is terminating "all direct air services between the UK and Iran."

The EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, also pledged a "strong response" and said a proposed set of measures had been forwarded to member states. Sanctions at the EU level require the green light from all 27 members and can take longer to approve.

But EU members are also at liberty to pursue most foreign policy matters independently, including bilateral sanctions, hence France and Germany's announcement on Tuesday along with the UK.  

Iran denies arming Russia, also with 'Shahed' drones

Iran has in the past denied sending weapons to either Ukraine or Russia, saying it considers this "inhumane" and liable to increase civilian casualties and reduce the chances of a truce. 

However, Ukraine has frequently reported the use of Iranian-made "Shahed" drones in attacks on its territory since late in 2022, not long after Russia's full-scale invasion that February.

Responding on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani issued a lengthy statement online. For the most part, it focused on the conflict in Gaza and the wider Middle East and US or Western military support for Israel.

The last paragraph addressed the allegations at hand, calling them "false and misleading news," "ugly propaganda" and a "lie with the aim of concealing the dimensions of the massive illegal arms support of the United States and some Western countries for the genocide in the Gaza Strip."

It went into no detail and made no attempt to demonstrate the allegations being "false."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, declined to comment on the reports on Tuesday but told reporters in Moscow that Russia and Iran were cooperating on various issues, including "the most sensitive" areas.

Blinken had alleged that Iran's provision of missiles to Russia was "a two-way street, including on nuclear issues as well as some space information." 

What is Iran accused of sending to Russia? 

According to media reports in recent days, typically citing US or European officials speaking on condition of anonymity, Iran has transferred short-range Fath-360 (sometimes also called BN-120) ballistic missiles to Russia. These have a range of around 120 kilometers or 75 miles. 

Blinken said in London that dozens of Russian military personnel had trained in Iran, learning how to operate the system. 

"Iran's new president and foreign minister have repeatedly said that they want to restore engagement with Europe," Blinken said on Tuesday, referring to the country's longstanding international isolation over its nuclear ambitions and other issues. "They want to receive sanctions relief. Destabilizing actions like these will achieve exactly the opposite." 

Ukraine calls sanctions a 'positive step' but not enough

Ukraine's Andriy Yermak, the head of the office of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, described the planned sanctions on Iran as a "positive step" but said they did not go far enough. 

"We also need authorization to use Western weapons against military targets on Russia territory, the provision of longer-range weapons, and the enhancement of our air defense systems," Yermak said on social media. 

Ukraine has been pushing in recent weeks for more explicit authorization to strike targets deeper inside Russia using weaponry supplied by Western allies, but many major NATO members including the US, UK, France and Germany are yet to issue it. 

It is already using some of its weapons for strikes deep inside Russia, as Tuesday's reports of overnight disruptions at three Moscow-area airports following alleged drone attacks demonstrated.

msh/sms (AFP, AP, Reuters)