Washington is imposing new sanctions on Iran over its supply of missiles to Russia for use in Moscow’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced.
The U.S. State Department said the sanctions aimed to further constrain “Iran’s destabilizing activities” and target individuals and businesses based in Iran and Russia, including Iran’s flagship airline, Iran Air, which the U.S. said was involved in the weapons transfer.
Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder confirmed that Iran had transferred shipments of Fath-360 close-range ballistic missiles to Russia and that they could be employed against Ukraine “within weeks.” Prior to the transfer, Russian military personnel were trained in Iran to use this system, he said.
Ryder called Iran’s transfer of the short-range missiles, which can hit targets up to 120 kilometers away, a “concerning development” that deepens Russia’s military arsenal.
“For its part, Russia is sharing technology that Iran seeks,” Blinken told reporters. “This is a two-way street, including on nuclear issues, as well as some space information.”
Blinken added that Russian President Vladimir Putin was now relying increasingly on help from Iran and North Korea to get weapons, a clear violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, and was also getting aid from China.
