The U.K. government has introduced new sanctions against Iran due to its supply of ballistic missiles and other military equipment to Russia as part of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The Foreign Office announced measures to freeze the assets of Iran’s national airline and a state-owned shipping firm that facilitated weapon transfers. Additionally, sanctions will target the Russian cargo ship Port Olya-3, which was responsible for delivering the missiles from Iran.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy expressed strong disapproval of Iran’s actions, labeling them as “dangerous and unacceptable.” In remarks made ahead of the sanctions announcement at the U.N. Security Council, he stated that the U.K. and its allies were united in their stance against any transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia and that such actions would elicit a significant response.
This announcement coincides with the approach of the 1,000th day of the war in Ukraine and follows U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent authorization for Ukraine to use American-supplied missiles to conduct strikes further into Russian territory.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized at the G20 summit in Brazil the need for the international community to “double down” in supporting Ukraine for as long as required.
The new asset freezes will hinder Iran Air’s capacity to maintain direct flights between the U.K. and Iran, while also prohibiting U.K. citizens and businesses from engaging in financial transactions with the affected entities.
These sanctions build upon previous measures that were taken against Iran and Russia, announced in September in collaboration with Germany and France.
