Britain, France and Germany said they would cut aviation agreements with the Islamic republic and sanction its national carrier Iran Air, claiming Tehran had repeatedly defied warnings about the weapons transfers.
"This act is an escalation by both Iran and Russia, and is a direct threat to European security," the so-called E3 powers said in a joint statement.
President Joe Biden meanwhile said the United States was considering lifting restrictions on Ukraine using long-range, US-made missiles against Russia to help it defend itself in return.
"We're working that out right now," Biden told reporters at the White House.
On a visit to London, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the Iranian missiles could be used against Ukraine "within weeks".
Dozens of Russian military personnel have trained in Iran using the Fath-360 missile, which has a range of 75 miles (120 kilometres), he added.
The British government announced soon afterwards that it had already begun "the termination of all direct air services between the UK and Iran".
Washington accused Iran Air of "operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy", sanctioning it and 10 individuals and companies involved in the supply.
- 'False and misleading' -
The move was dismissed In Iran, where foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said the Western claims were false and a distraction from US backing for Israel in its war against Hamas militants.
"Spreading false and misleading news about the transfer of Iranian weapons to some countries is just an ugly propaganda and lie with the aim of concealing the dimensions of the massive illegal arms support of the United States and some Western countries for the genocide in the Gaza Strip," he added.
On Ukraine, the State Department said that Blinken would travel to Kyiv on Wednesday in a solidarity trip with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, as Ukrainian forces face Russian advances in the east.
Moscow has stepped up its aerial attacks in recent weeks but is also trying to fight off a major Ukrainian cross-border offensive into its western Kursk region, which has reshaped the course of the two-and-a-half-year war.
Lammy said the joint trip demonstrated the two countries' commitment to Ukraine, and comes before UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits the White House on Friday.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Britain has been at the forefront of pushing for more assistance to Kyiv, including loosening restrictions on the use of Western weapons on Russian territory.
Asked about reports that Britain is waiting for a US green light to let Ukraine use long-range Storm Shadow missiles against Russia, Lammy said he would not discuss "operational issues" as "the only person who could benefit" was Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Last week, the UK said that it would send Ukraine 650 new specialist missile systems after President Volodymyr Zelensky complained of slow deliveries from the West.
- 'Special relationship'-
The US-UK "special relationship" has persevered across partisan lines since Starmer's Labour ended the Conservatives 14 years in power in July.
But for Starmer, a full alignment with President Joe Biden's Democratic Party agenda could carry risks just two months before US elections in which Biden's political heir Kamala Harris is running neck and neck in polls with Republican Donald Trump.
While backing Ukraine, Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, has taken a harder line than the Conservatives on Israel, which relies on the United States as its foremost backer in the Gaza war.
His Labour government last week announced restrictions on some weapons to Israel, voicing concern that they could be used to violate international humanitarian law.
The Labour government has also dropped its Conservative predecessor's plans to challenge the right of the International Criminal Court to seek the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
US steps up sanctions over Iran missile deliveries to Russia
Washington (AFP) Sept 10, 2024 -
The United States on Tuesday unveiled fresh sanctions against more than a dozen firms and individuals in Russia and Iran in response to what it called Iran's "escalatory" decision to send ballistic missiles to Russia.
The sanctions targeted 10 people and six companies for their involvement in supporting Iran's defense sector, and identified four vessels involved in "enabling Iran's delivery of weapons components and weapons systems," the US Treasury Department said in a statement.
"Today, the United States and our allies are taking concerted action in response to Iran's reckless decision to proliferate ballistic missiles to Russia for use in its war of aggression against Ukraine," deputy Treasury secretary Wally Adeyemo said.
"Iran has opted to intensify its involvement in Russia's illegal war, and the United States, along with our partners, will continue to stand with Ukraine," he added.
Alongside the sanctions announced Tuesday, "the Department of State is concurrently designating three entities, including Iran Air, and identifying five vessels as blocked property involved in the proliferation of Iranian weapons systems to Russia," the Treasury Department said.
Earlier Tuesday, Britain, France and Germany announced new sanctions targeting Iran's air transport, including the cancellation of bilateral air service agreements with the Islamic Republic.
A spokesperson for the Iran's foreign ministry denied that Iran had made the weapons transfers to Russia, in a message posted on the social media platform X.
Germany, France, UK slap sanctions on Iran over missiles for Russia
Berlin (AFP) Sept 10, 2024 -
Germany, France and Britain on Tuesday condemned what they said was Iran's delivery of ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the Ukraine war and declared new sanctions targeting air transport.
"We will be taking immediate steps to cancel bilateral air services agreements with Iran," the three European countries said in a joint statement, adding that they would also "work towards imposing sanctions on Iran Air".
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier had said, on a visit to London, that Russia had received shipments of the ballistic missiles and "will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine".
London, Paris and Berlin said that, despite their warnings of "new and significant measures against Iran" in case it sent missiles, "we now have confirmation that Iran has made these transfers".
"This is a further escalation of Iran's military support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and will see Iranian missiles reaching European soil, increasing the suffering of the Ukrainian people," they said.
"This act is an escalation by both Iran and Russia, and is a direct threat to European security."
The three countries said they "will be taking immediate steps to cancel bilateral air services agreements with Iran".
"In addition, we will pursue the designations of significant entities and individuals involved with Iran's ballistic missile programme and the transfer of ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia.
"We will also work towards imposing sanctions on Iran Air," they said, echoing a step taken by Washington.
Shortly before the joint announcement, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani denied that the Islamic republic had made weapons transfers, in a message on the social media platform X.
He wrote that "spreading false and misleading news about the transfer of Iranian weapons to some countries" was "ugly propaganda" and a lie.
He charged that its aim was to conceal "the dimensions of the massive illegal arms support of the United States and some Western countries for the genocide in the Gaza Strip", where Israel is at war with Palestinian militant group Hamas.
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