US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed dozens of Russian military personnel received training in Iran on using the Fath-360 missile, which has a range of 75 miles.
London: Announcing a fresh round of sanctions, the US and the UK formally accused Iran of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to use in the war in Ukraine. Addressing a joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia is expected to use Iranian missiles against Ukraine in the coming days.
“Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine, against Ukrainians... The supply of Iranian missiles enables Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets that are further from the front line,” Blinken said.
“The United States will be announcing further sanctions on Iran... including additional measures on Iran Air. We expect allies and partners will be announcing their own new measures on Iran as well,” Blinken added. Following his announcement, the UK, France, and Germany also announced sanctions against Iran over the supply of missiles to Russia.
In a joint statement, the British, French, and German foreign ministers said they would slap sanctions on Iran Air and entities and individuals associated with supplying missiles to Russia.
In recent years, Iran and Russia have come closer due to their shared enmity with the US. According to top Russian official Sergei Shoigu, Russia has nearly completed the required procedures to sign a new bilateral treaty with Iran.
Iran warns action against Western sanctionsTehran: Denying that it has provided Russia with weapons for its war in Ukraine, Iran vowed to take action against fresh sanctions imposed by Britain, France, and Germany. "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 appropriate and proportionate action of the Islamic Republic of Iran," foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement this week. |
