Iranian Missiles in Russia; US and Three European Countries Sanction 'Iran Air' and Other Entities

The US Secretary of State has officially confirmed reports of Iran sending ballistic missiles to Russia, stating that the United States will impose new sanctions against Tehran. Antony Blinken said on Tuesday, September 20, in London that 'Russia has received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them against Ukraine in the coming weeks.' During a joint press conference with the UK Foreign Secretary, he announced that the US is imposing new sanctions against Iran, which will include further punitive measures against Iran Air, the Islamic Republic's airline. Iran Air was sanctioned in 2018 during Donald Trump's presidency, and now additional sanctions are being imposed. Blinken stated, 'Iran's decision to supply ballistic missiles to Russia threatens European security.' He also noted that Russia is providing Iran with technologies that include nuclear capabilities. The White House National Security Council spokesperson also announced on Tuesday that details of the new sanctions against Iran due to the transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia will be announced soon. John Kirby mentioned that dozens of Russian military personnel have been trained in Iran to use short-range ballistic missile systems. He indicated that these new sanctions would restrict Iran Air's commercial flights between cities in the UK and Europe to Iran. Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department published a list of individuals and companies in Russia and Germany that are now sanctioned, with their assets in the United States being frozen. This list includes nine individuals and five Iranian companies and entities. The German Foreign Ministry also announced that the governments of France, Germany, and the UK are sanctioning Iran Air, condemning the transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia. In a joint statement, the three countries said, 'This action is an escalation of tensions by Iran and Russia and a direct threat to European security.' The statement further noted that the European Troika would take immediate steps to revoke bilateral air service agreements with Iran. David Lammy, the UK Foreign Secretary, described the supply of ballistic missiles by Iran to Russia as a 'significant escalation.' He added that the UK will coordinate with the United States in response to this action. Lammy emphasized that 'we are fully aligned on the need to counter Iran's malign activities in the region and beyond.' He noted a concerning pattern of increased Iranian support for the 'illegal Kremlin group.' The UK also announced a new wave of sanctions against Tehran and Moscow, including seven sanctions against the Iranian government and three against Russia. Some of those sanctioned include companies and individuals linked to the production chain of drones and ballistic missiles in Russia and Iran. London also announced that 'all direct air services between the UK and Iran' would be canceled as part of the new sanctions. Additionally, the UK sanctioned several Russian cargo ships due to their role in transferring military equipment from Iran to Russia. The Wall Street Journal reported on September 6 that Iran had sent short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, and a day later, the Associated Press and the New York Times published similar reports citing their sources. Iran has denied such actions, with a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry stating, 'We strongly deny claims regarding Iran's role in exporting weapons to one side of the war.' However, the European Union described the information regarding the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia as 'credible.' Peter Stano, a spokesperson for the EU, stated that the union would 'respond decisively in coordination with its international partners, which will include taking serious punitive measures against Iran.' In response to the delivery of Iranian ballistic missiles to Moscow, a Ukrainian presidential official stated that 'the West's response to Iran's missile delivery to Russia should be accompanied by authorization for deeper strikes into Russian territory by Kyiv.' Andriy Yermak called the sanctions against Tehran due to the missile delivery a 'positive step,' but added, 'this is not enough.' Yermak stated in a post on social media that 'we also need authorization to use Western weapons against military targets in Russian territory, to procure longer-range missiles, and to strengthen our air defense systems.' The spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also threatened that if Russia uses the ballistic missiles provided by Iran to attack Ukraine, Kyiv may sever its relations with Tehran. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that it summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Kyiv and warned him about the 'devastating and irreparable consequences' that the potential delivery of ballistic missiles to Russia would have on bilateral relations.