London Protests Against Ballistic Missile Transfers to Russia, British Foreign Office Summons Iranian Chargé d'Affaires

The British Foreign Office summoned the Chargé d'Affaires of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London in protest against the transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia, intended for use against Ukraine. This summoning of Ali Matinfar was announced in a statement on Wednesday, September 21, and was coordinated with European partners at the direction of British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. The statement also mentioned that the UK government had previously publicly condemned the transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia, deeming it a 'dangerous escalation' of tensions and promising a 'significant response.' Following the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia, the United States, the UK, Germany, and France imposed new sanctions on Tuesday, September 20, against individuals and entities involved in this operation. These four countries sanctioned key individuals and entities involved in the Islamic Republic's military support for Russia, including the airline 'Iran Air.' The UK, Germany, and France also canceled bilateral agreements with Iran regarding air services. In a joint statement, these three European countries described the export of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia as a sign of the 'escalation of military support from the Islamic Republic for Russia's aggression against Ukraine,' characterizing it as an act to 'target European soil with Iranian missiles and exacerbate the suffering of the Ukrainian people.' The U.S. Treasury Department also announced sanctions against 20 individuals, entities, and vessels involved in the transfer of Iranian missiles to Russia. 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 note that the current Russian ballistic missile arsenal consists of missiles made in Russia and low-accuracy missiles from North Korea. Strong reactions to the transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia continue as Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, accused the U.S. and Europe on the social media platform 'X' of acting based on 'false information and flawed logic,' claiming that Iran has not sent ballistic missiles to Russia. This claim comes despite Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of the National Security Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stating on September 17 in an interview with the 'Iran Monitor' website that 'Iran exports drones and missiles to Russia as part of its economic and political cooperation. In return, the Russians cooperate with Iran to circumvent sanctions. We import many of our goods from Russia.' He elaborated on the nature of Iran-Russia cooperation, stating, 'We must barter to meet our needs, including in soybean and wheat imports. One part of the barter involves sending missiles and another part sending military drones to Russia.' In response to the question of whether the news of Iranian ballistic missile transfers to Russia could lead to further sanctions and the potential activation of the trigger mechanism, Bakhshayesh Ardestani stated, 'There is no color darker than black. We provide missiles to Hezbollah, Hamas, and Hashd al-Shaabi; why not to Russia?' This admission by the parliamentary representative regarding the Islamic Republic's military assistance to its proxy groups comes at a time when military and political officials of the Iranian government have repeatedly denied military assistance to these groups. The foreign ministers of the U.S. and the UK entered Kyiv to reaffirm support for Ukraine. The U.S. Secretary of State stated that the delivery of missiles to Russia during the period of the medicalian contradicts his claims for improving Iran's economy. Ukraine did not rule out the possibility of severing relations with the Islamic Republic over the missile delivery to Russia. The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 20 individuals, entities, and vessels in Iran and Russia.