Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.K. Foreign Minister David Lammy took aim at Iran during their joint press conference in London, based on the allegation that Iran has shipped ballistic missiles to Russia. The U.S. and U.K. are “completely aligned too on the need to tackle Iran’s malign activity in the region and beyond,” Lammy said. “We’re seeing a disturbing pattern of greater Iranian support for the Kremlin’s illegal war, and we discussed today our shared commitment to holding Tehran to account for their undermining of global stability.”
Blinken claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is increasingly relying on weapons from Iran and North Korea, which are allegedly being shipped in violation of international law, including now Iran’s Fath 360 ballistic missiles. “This development and the growing cooperation between Russia and Iran threatens European security and demonstrates how Iran’s destabilizing influence reaches far beyond the Middle East. For its part, Russia is sharing technology that Iran seeks—this is a two-way street—including on nuclear issues as well as some space information,” Blinken claimed. “So as Iran’s destabilizing activities spread, so does Russia, sowing even greater insecurity in their regions and around the world.”
A few hours later, the State Department announced new sanctions on Iranian and Russian entities allegedly involved in the transfer of missiles from Iran to Russia. “The expanding military partnership between Iran and Russia threatens European security and illustrates how Iran’s destabilizing influence reaches beyond the Middle East to undermine security around the world,” the State Department announcement solemnly declared. “The United States will continue to use all tools at our disposal to disrupt and counter Iran’s weapons exports, with particular attention to transfers that support Russia’s war against Ukraine.” The sanctions target Iran Air as well as three ship operators on the Caspian Sea.
