Islamic Republic Responds to New Sanctions; Summons Heads of European Political Missions in Iran

Following the imposition of a new round of Western sanctions against Iran due to the transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the heads of the political missions of Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Germany on Thursday, September 13. The Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, claimed that the protest statement from Britain, Germany, and France was 'unconventional', 'aligned with the U.S.', and 'under the pretext of alleged interference in the Ukraine conflict'. These three European countries, in a joint statement, described the export of ballistic missiles from the Islamic Republic to Russia as a sign of 'increased military support from the Islamic Republic for Russia's aggression against Ukraine' and characterized it as an action to 'target European soil with Iranian missiles and exacerbate the suffering of the Ukrainian people'. The Foreign Ministries of Britain and the Netherlands had summoned the heads of the Iranian missions in their countries on Wednesday, September 12, in protest. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Tuesday, September 11, that Russia had received ballistic missiles from the Islamic Republic of Iran and would likely use them in the war against Ukraine in the coming weeks. Following this news, the four countries—America, Britain, France, and Germany—announced a series of new sanctions against certain individuals and key entities involved in the Islamic Republic's military support for Russia, including Iran Air. Britain, Germany, and France also canceled bilateral agreements with Iran regarding air services. According to Mizan, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the new sanctions, calling the news of missile sales to Russia 'completely baseless and false'. Russian officials also deemed Antony Blinken's statements on this matter as 'groundless'. The increasing cooperation between the Islamic Republic and Russia in recent years has prompted Western countries to impose several extensive sanction packages against Iranian individuals and entities involved in these collaborations. Experts say that currently, Russia's ballistic missile arsenal consists of missiles made in Russia and low-accuracy missiles made in North Korea. Blinken praised Warsaw's role in supporting Ukraine; Poland stated that the 'Tehran butcher' policy continues under the presidency of Medvedev. The U.S. and British foreign ministers in Kyiv: Putin has intensified the war by receiving missiles from the Islamic Republic. London's protest against the transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia led the British Foreign Office to summon the Iranian chargé d'affaires. The U.S. Secretary of State stated that the delivery of missiles to Russia during Medvedev's presidency contradicts his claims of improving Iran's economy. The U.S. and European powers warned about the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities: the patience of the Board of Governors has its limits. Russian drone attacks on Ukraine; Kyiv: 44 drones were shot down.