LONDON: Western powers on Tuesday announced fresh sanctions against Iran for supplying Russia with short-range missiles for imminent use against Ukraine, calling it a dangerous escalation of the conflict that threatens European security.
Britain, France and Germany said they would cut aviation deals with Iran and sanction its national carrier Iran Air, saying Tehran had repeatedly defied warnings over arms transfers.
“This act constitutes an escalation by both Iran and Russia and poses a direct threat to European security,” the E3 powers said in a joint statement.
During a visit to London, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that missiles could be used against Ukraine “within weeks.”
Dozens of Russian military personnel have trained in Iran using the Fath-360 missile, which has a range of 75 miles (120 kilometers), he added.
“Iran's new president and foreign minister have repeatedly said they want to re-engage with Europe,” he said.
“They want sanctions to be eased. Destabilising actions like these will achieve exactly the opposite.”
The British government announced shortly afterwards that it had already begun “the termination of all direct air services between the UK and Iran”.
Washington accused Iran Air of “operating or having operated in the transport sector of the Russian Federation's economy”, sanctioning the company and 10 individuals and companies involved in its supply.
The move was rejected in Iran, where Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said the Western claims were false and a distraction from US support for Israel in its war against Hamas.
“Spreading false and misleading news about Iranian arms transfers to some countries is simply disgusting propaganda and a lie aimed at concealing the dimensions of the massive illegal arms support by the United States and some Western countries to the genocide in the Gaza Strip,” he added.
Joint visit to Ukraine
On Ukraine, the State Department said Blinken will travel to kyiv on Wednesday on a solidarity trip with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy as Ukrainian forces confront Russian advances in the east.
Moscow has stepped up its airstrikes in recent weeks but is also trying to repel a major Ukrainian cross-border offensive in its western Kursk region that has redefined the course of the two-and-a-half-year war.
Lammy said the joint trip demonstrated both countries' commitment to Ukraine and comes ahead of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to the White House on Friday.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Britain has been at the forefront of pushing for more assistance to kyiv, including easing restrictions on the use of Western weapons on Russian territory.
Asked about reports that Britain is waiting for the green light from the United States to allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow long-range missiles against Russia, Lammy said he would not discuss “operational issues” as “the only person who could benefit” was Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Last week, the UK said it would send Ukraine 650 new specialised missile systems after President Volodymyr Zelensky complained about the slow pace of deliveries from the West.
'Special relationship'
The US-UK “special relationship” has persisted across party lines since Starmer's Labour Party ended the Conservatives' 14-year rule in July.
But for Starmer, a full alignment with President Joe Biden's Democratic Party agenda could carry risks just two months before the US election in which Biden's political heir, Kamala Harris, is tied in the polls with Republican Donald Trump.
While supportive of Ukraine, Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, has taken a tougher line than the Conservatives on Israel, which counts the United States as its main backer in the Gaza war.
His Labour government last week announced restrictions on the shipment of some weapons to Israel, expressing concern that they could be used to violate international humanitarian law.
The Labour government also abandoned plans by its Conservative predecessor to challenge the right of the International Criminal Court to seek the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The United States, while backing the Hague-based court when it comes to Russia, has denounced the attempt to target Netanyahu, arguing that Israel has its own ways of ensuring accountability.
Asked whether Britain would oppose a formal move to seek Netanyahu's arrest, with Blinken at his side, Lammy said: “We believe in international law.”
“We believe in the Rome Statute,” he added, referring to the treaty that founded the International Criminal Court.
“But these decisions must be determined by international courts.”
