LondonThe United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany announced new sanctions against Iran on Tuesday, particularly in the air transport sector, after accusing the Islamic Republic of having supplied ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had earlier said at a press conference in London that Iran had supplied missiles to Russia for use “in the coming weeks” in Ukraine, a former Soviet republic facing an invasion by Moscow’s troops since February 2022.
Blinken, along with British Foreign Minister David Lammy, explained that one of the main targets of the new sanctions will be the national airline Iran Air.
And in fact the United Kingdom was the first to announce concrete measures.
“We have begun to end all direct air links between the UK and Iran,” said British Transport Secretary Louise Haigh.
Iran Air operates direct flights between London’s Heathrow Airport and Tehran.
In a joint statement, France, Germany and the United Kingdom also condemned “the export by Iran and the acquisition by Russia of Iranian ballistic missiles” and announced sanctions against the air transport sector.
The three countries considered these arms sales to be “a new escalation of Iran’s military support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”
“This escalation, provoked by both Iran and Russia, is a direct threat to European security,” the statement said.
“We will seek to identify significant entities and individuals involved with Iran’s ballistic missile program and the transfer of ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia,” it added.
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– 2024-09-19 00:39:21
