US imposes new sanctions on Iran’s main airline over Tehran supplying missiles to Russia

(CNN) — The United States imposed new sanctions on Iran’s main airline as three key European allies announced they will move to do the same in response to Tehran’s transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken previewed the move to impose sanctions on Iran Air earlier Tuesday calling Iran’s supply of the missiles to Moscow “a dramatic escalation.”

The foreign ministers of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany on Tuesday jointly called the missile transfer “a direct threat to European security.”

In addition to moving towards sanctions, they also said their countries “will be taking immediate steps to cancel bilateral air services agreements with Iran.” That move will restrict Iran Air’s ability to fly into Europe and the UK.

“The E3 has privately and publicly been clear that we would take new and significant measures against Iran if the transfers took place,” they said in a joint statement, using “E3” in reference to their trio of countries.

Tuesday is not the first time the US has imposed sanctions on Iran Air and it is unclear whether the latest punitive measures will actually serve to deter Tehran. Still, the joint actions are intended to send a sharp rebuke of Iran’s ongoing support of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Beyond the additional sanctions on Iran Air, the US also imposed sanctions on Russian and Iranian officials and companies involved in the weapons transfers. They also identified “four vessels as blocked property that are enabling Iran’s delivery of weapons components and weapons systems, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and close-range ballistic missiles (CRBMs), to Russia,” the Treasury Department said in a press release Tuesday.

Blinken said in a press conference earlier Tuesday that “in recent days” the US has “been sharing intelligence behind these findings, with our allies and partners and working together to ensure that there will be significant economic consequences for Tehran’s actions.”

“Anyone who proves assistance to Russia … is perpetuating the war, is perpetuating the conflict,” he added, noting that “we’ve warned Tehran publicly, we’ve warned Tehran privately, that taking this step would constitute a dramatic escalation.”

“Dozens of Russian military personnel have been trained in Iran to use the FATH-360 close-range ballistic missile system, which has a maximum range of 75 miles. Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine,” Blinken said alongside his British counterpart, David Lammy. Blinken said he expected Russia would begin using the missiles against Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Blinken explained that Iranian missiles will give Russia an “additional capability” and “additional flexibility,” explaining that Russia will now be able to use their own arsenal to hit targets beyond the front lines while they use the short-range ballistic missiles from Iran to hit closer targets.

Iran has already provided Russia with hundreds of drones that Russian forces have used in their war against Ukraine, and Russia has been building a drone-manufacturing facility in country with Iran’s help, CNN has reported. Iran has also trained Russia on how to use the drones.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani “strongly condemned the unusual statement of the Foreign Ministers of England, France and Germany regarding the cancellation of bilateral agreements for the provision of air services with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the sanctioning of Iran Air under the pretext of allegedly interfering in the conflict in Ukraine,” in a statement on Tuesday.

“This action of the three European countries is the continuation of the hostile policy of the West and economic terrorism against the people of Iran, which will face the corresponding and proportionate action of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Kanani said. “As it was emphasized before, any claim that the Islamic Republic of Iran has sold ballistic missiles to the Russian Federation is completely baseless and false,” he added.

“It adds to their capacity, and it fuels the war,” Blinken said of the new Iranian missiles Russia now has. “Anyone who is providing assistance to Russia, whether it’s direct lethal assistance like Iran or North Korea, whether it’s assistance to their defense industrial base, like China, is perpetuating the war, is fueling the conflict.”

In return for the new missiles, Russia will provide Iran with technology “including on nuclear issues, as well as some space information,” Blinken said. He called the relationship a “two-way street.”

“As Iran’s destabilizing activity spread, so does Russia, sowing even greater insecurity in their regions and around the world. In recent days, we’ve been sharing intelligence behind these findings, with our allies and partners and working together to ensure that there will be significant economic consequences for Tehran’s actions,” Blinken said.

The new sanctions include additional measures on Iran Air, the national airline, Blinken said. “Anyone who proves assistance to Russia … is perpetuating the war, is perpetuating the conflict,” he added.

Lammy similarly called Iran’s actions “a troubling pattern” and “a significant escalation.”

Blinken and Lammy said they would make a joint visit to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, later this week. Lammy described it as the “first joint visit of this kind for well over a decade.”

CNN previously reported that the shipment of the Iranian missiles had arrived in Russia. Iranian officials have denied that they sent missiles to Russia.

CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed reporting.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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