EU and UK Impose New Sanctions on Iran for Alleged Support to Russia

The European Union and the United Kingdom have announced an expansion of sanctions against Iran, citing its alleged support for Russia's military operations in Ukraine.

The announcement shows the growing tensions between Western powers and Iran over its purported role in supplying military technology to Russia a claim that Tehran vehemently denies.

The newly imposed sanctions are comprehensive, targeting Iranian shipping and ports to disrupt the transfer of drones, missiles, and related technology to Russia.

As part of these measures, the EU has banned the export of components crucial for manufacturing missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Iran.

Additionally, transactions with Iranian ports linked to sanctioned individuals or entities, including the Caspian Sea ports of Amirabad and Anzali, have been prohibited.

These ports have been implicated in the supply chain of drones and missiles to Russia. "This measure includes access to facilities of the ports and locks... and the provision of any services to vessels," stated the EU during a meeting of its foreign ministers in Brussels. However, assistance to vessels in distress will still be permitted under certain maritime safety exceptions.

The sanctions extend to Iran’s state-run shipping company IRISL, its director Mohammad Reza Khiabani, and three Russian shipping firms accused of transporting weapons across the Caspian Sea.

In parallel, the UK has taken decisive steps by freezing the assets of IRISL and Iran Air, accusing them of transporting ballistic missiles and military equipment to Russia. Furthermore, Britain has barred the Russian cargo ship Port Olya-3 from entering UK ports, alleging its involvement in ferrying missiles from Iran to Russia.

These actions build upon previous measures by the UK, France, and Germany, collectively known as the E3 powers, in response to Iran’s alleged supply of short-range missiles to Moscow.

Despite these accusations, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has condemned the sanctions as "baseless" and warned of potential repercussions. "Freedom of navigation is a basic principle of the law of the sea. When selectively applied... such behavior usually tends to boomerang," he remarked on X (formerly Twitter).

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, indicated that Tehran would determine its response to these new measures, describing them as another challenge to Iran’s already struggling economy.

Since the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 and the reinstatement of harsh sanctions, Iran has been under intense economic pressure.