The United Kingdom, France, and Germany, known as E3 countries, have announced sanctions against Iran over the supply of missiles to Russia.
The foreign ministers of the three countries announced in a joint statement today they would slap sanctions on Iran Air and also sanction entities and personnel associated with the supply of missiles.
The announcement comes shortly after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy that Iran has supplied Russia with ballistic missiles for use in the war on Ukraine.
He dubbed it a “dramatic escalation” and said the United States would impose sanctions on Iran for the supply of missiles.
The joint statement released by the German foreign ministry stated that the three countries’ foreign ministers strongly condemn Iran’s export and Russia’s procurement of Iranian ballistic missiles.
They dubbed it a “direct threat to European security”.
Russia denies allegation
Russia has denied allegations that Iran has supplied missiles for use in the Ukraine war, following reports from multiple American media outlets that claimed without providing evidence.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the reports, telling Russian media, “Not all such information corresponds to reality.” Peskov acknowledged seeing a Wall Street Journal article on the matter but added, “Iran is an important partner for us. We are developing trade and economic relations, as well as cooperation and dialogue in various areas, including sensitive ones, and we will continue to do so in the interests of both our countries.”
The Wall Street Journal and other American outlets, citing unnamed sources, claimed on Friday that Iran had allegedly supplied Russia with hundreds of short-range ballistic missiles to support its military operations in Ukraine.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry also rejected the accusations, reiterating that Tehran has not been involved militarily since the start of the Ukraine conflict.
“As has been emphasized repeatedly, the Islamic Republic of Iran opposes war and supports a political solution to resolve the differences between Russia and Ukraine, aiming to end the military conflict,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.
