The United States has also issued sanctions against ten individuals and six entities based in Iran and Russia and has identified four vessels as blocked property due to their involvement in this transfer.
The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken explained that while Russia has its own ballistic missiles, the Iranian supply allows it to allocate more of its arsenal to long-range targets while using the new Iranian missiles for closer-range strikes.
In a joint statement, France, Germany, and Britain described the transfer as an escalation by both Iran and Russia and a direct threat to European security.
UK Sanctions and Other Measures
The UK’s response includes sanctions on five Russian cargo ships involved in transporting military supplies from Iran to Russia. The sanctioned vessels are:
- SKIF-V (IMO 8858087)
- OMSKIY (IMO 8889385)
- MUSA JALIL (IMO 8846814)
- BEGEY (IMO 8943210)
- BALTIYSKIY (IMO 7612448)
Additional UK measures involve:
- The cancellation of bilateral air service arrangements with Iran, restricting Iran Air’s access to the UK.
- Sanctions on key individuals and organizations involved in Iran’s military support to Russia.
- Sanctions on Russian entities using Iranian weapons systems in Ukraine.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy described Iran’s supply of ballistic missiles to Russia as a “significant and dangerous escalation.” He warned that any transfer of such missiles by Iran would face a strong response. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh also stated that the UK would continue to use all available measures to pressure Iran to end its support for Russia’s actions in Ukraine, including terminating all direct air services between the UK and Iran.
The UK government is preparing new legislation to strengthen trade sanctions on Iran, particularly targeting items used in producing ballistic missiles, drones, and other weaponry.
US Sanctions and Designations
Simultaneously, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the designation of ten individuals and six entities based in Iran and Russia. Four vessels were also identified as blocked property due to their involvement in transporting weapons components between Iran and Russia. The vessels are:
- BORIS KUSTODIEV
- PORT OLYA-3
- PORT OLYA-4
- KOMPOZITOR RAKHMANINOV
These Russia-flagged vessels, operated by MG-FLOT Limited Liability Company (formerly TransMorFlot LLC), have been accused of facilitating the delivery of weapons from Iran to Russia. OFAC noted that the PORT OLYA-3 was used to transport close-range ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia.