New EU Sanctions Against the Islamic Republic; Seizure of Assets of Iran Air and Two Other Airlines

On Monday, October 15, the European Union imposed sanctions against the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Islamic Republic of Iran, senior members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and three airlines for allegedly sending drones, missiles, and other equipment to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine. The names of three airlines, Iran Air, Mahan Air, and Saha, as well as Seyyed Hamzeh Gholandari, the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Islamic Republic of Iran, are among those sanctioned. Gholandari is one of seven senior officials of the Islamic Republic who is now banned from traveling to Europe, and his assets in the EU have been frozen. According to the EU statement, given Gholandari's high position in the government, he has participated in the development of the Islamic Republic's drone and missile program. The new EU sanctions also include the freezing of assets of the three airlines. The EU stated that the aircraft of these companies have been used multiple times to transfer Iranian-made drones and related technologies to Russia, which has employed them in its 'aggressive war' against Ukraine. Andriy Sybiha, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, welcomed the EU sanctions against the Islamic Republic in response to the transfer of weapons from Iran to Russia. According to the senior Ukrainian diplomat, military assistance to an aggressor is a violation of international law and the UN Charter, and supporters of aggression must be held accountable and made to pay the costs of their actions. Reuters reported on Friday, October 13, citing a senior EU official, that the EU would present the first package related to these sanctions at a meeting of its member states' foreign ministers on Monday, October 15. Previously, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries condemned the transfer of ballistic missiles from the Islamic Republic of Iran to Russia in the strongest terms in a joint statement issued on Saturday, September 16. They noted that Russia is killing Ukrainian civilians and targeting the country's critical infrastructure using Iranian weaponry. They also warned that they remain committed to holding the Iranian government accountable for its illegal support of Russia's illegal war against Ukraine and will respond with 'new' and 'significant' actions. The United States has also imposed various sanctions against individuals and entities supporting the Islamic Republic's missile and drone activities. As global concerns about the expanding military cooperation between the two countries have increased nearly three years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Masoud Pezeshkian and Vladimir Putin, the presidents of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia, discussed increasing cooperation between Tehran and Moscow during a meeting in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, on Friday, October 13. In this meeting, Putin referred to the 'active' cooperation between Russia and the Iranian government, stating that the two countries' assessments of current global events are 'often very close.' Pezeshkian did not mention the controversial and costly military support of the Islamic Republic for Russia's aggression in Ukraine. Following Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, the Islamic Republic has provided the Putin's forces with thousands of suicide drones used to attack civilian infrastructure and Ukrainian citizens. Recently, despite repeated warnings from the international community, Iran has sent hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia. In response to the military cooperation of the Islamic Republic with Russia, the United States and the EU have imposed several sanction packages against individuals and entities involved in developing these relations.