France, Germany and UK call export of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia ‘direct threat to European security’
France, Germany and the United Kingdom have issued a joint statement.
The three countries condemned the export of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia and said they will be taking immediate steps to cancel bilateral air services agreements with Iran. They also said they will pursue the designations of significant entities and individuals and will work towards imposing sanctions on Iran Air.
The governments of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom strongly condemn Iran’s export and Russia’s procurement of Iranian ballistic missiles. 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. This act is an escalation by both Iran and Russia, and is a direct threat to European security.
The E3 has privately and publicly been clear that we would take new and significant measures against Iran if the transfers took place. We now have confirmation that Iran has made these transfers. We 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.
The E3 are closely coordinating our strong response to these transfers with our European and international partners. We call on Iran to immediately cease all support to Russia’s war against Ukraine and halt the development and transfers of its ballistic missiles.
Key events
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy has reiterated his position that “this year, we need a second Peace Summit.”
“This needs the maximum global involvement in implementing the Peace Formula and significantly strengthening our positions to make the fair process of restoring peace a reality,” he said.
This year, we need a second Peace Summit. This needs the maximum global involvement in implementing the Peace Formula and significantly strengthening our positions to make the fair process of restoring peace a reality.
The @MFA_Ukraine team, the entire government team, the… pic.twitter.com/gKgVtbTtC0
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 10, 2024
The White House has said that sanctions over Russia receiving missiles from Iran are coming later today, Reuters reported.
The White House also said that dozens of Russian military personnel have been trained in Iran to use a close-range ballistic missile system and that there is a risk of miscalculations and missiles hitting outside Ukraine.
As we reported earlier, Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, announced on Monday that the country will extend temporary controls to all German land borders.
Now, Poland’s prime minister has raised concerns about the plan.
Donald Tusk said Germany’s decision is unacceptable for Poland, and that his country would request urgent consultations with all countries affected, Reuters reported.
UK adds new designations under Iran and Russia sanctions regimes
The UK has “added 7 new designations under the Iran sanctions regime and 3 new designations under the Russia sanctions regime”, according to new guidance published today.
It has also “added 5 new ship specifications under the Russia sanctions regime”.
France, Germany and UK call export of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia ‘direct threat to European security’
France, Germany and the United Kingdom have issued a joint statement.
The three countries condemned the export of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia and said they will be taking immediate steps to cancel bilateral air services agreements with Iran. They also said they will pursue the designations of significant entities and individuals and will work towards imposing sanctions on Iran Air.
The governments of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom strongly condemn Iran’s export and Russia’s procurement of Iranian ballistic missiles. 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. This act is an escalation by both Iran and Russia, and is a direct threat to European security.
The E3 has privately and publicly been clear that we would take new and significant measures against Iran if the transfers took place. We now have confirmation that Iran has made these transfers. We 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.
The E3 are closely coordinating our strong response to these transfers with our European and international partners. We call on Iran to immediately cease all support to Russia’s war against Ukraine and halt the development and transfers of its ballistic missiles.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and his UK counterpart, David Lammy, have announced they will travel to Ukraine together this week.
It will be the first joint UK-US trip to the country as London and Washington seek to reaffirm their commitment to Kyiv.
Dan Sabbagh
Russia’s military lost more than 1,100 killed or wounded a day during July and August as it attacked Ukraine, British defence secretary John Healey told the UK’s House of Commons, and its forces are around 8km from the communications hub of Pokrovsk.
“Eastern Ukraine continues to be Russia’s main focus,” the minister said, though he praised Ukraine’s surprise counter attack into the Russian Kursk province last month, which helped “expose the vulnerabilities of [Vladmir] Putin’s frontline forces” and put the Russian president under pressure.
The minister said that “around 900 sq km of territory is now held by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region” – a figure that is lower than the 1,300 square kilometres claimed by Ukraine’s top military commander Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi at the end of last month.
Healey also warned that the UK was facing “a decade of growing Russian aggression” both in and beyond Ukraine, reporting that front line Nato states are “reporting Russian drones violating their airspace” and repeating warnings of Kremlin cyber and sabotage campaigns across Europe.
Britain, the minister told the UK parliament, remained committed to continuing training Ukrainian soldiers in the UK to at least 2025 and lifting defence spending to 2.5% of GDP in the medium term.
But he would not comment if the UK would be willing to spend more on Ukraine if Donald Trump were to win the US presidential election. Concerns remain that Trump, if elected, would cut or even halt US military aid on which Kyiv has relied to sustain its war effort.
The German foreign ministry has said that it 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, Reuters reported.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, has said that “sanctions against Iran for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia are a positive step.”
But he added: “We also need authorization to use Western weapons against military targets on Russian territory, the provision of longer-range missiles, and the enhancement of our air defense systems.”
Sanctions against Iran for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia are a positive step.
We also need authorization to use Western weapons against military targets on Russian territory, the provision of longer-range missiles, and the enhancement of our air defense systems.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) September 10, 2024
The British foreign secretary, David Lammy, and the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, will be traveling to Kyiv together this week.
Blinken said that one of the aims of the trip is to hear from Ukraine’s leadership about their needs in this moment and their objectives.
It’s a pleasure to welcome @SecBlinken to London.
The special relationship has been cherished on both sides of the Atlantic for more than 80 years, but together we are committed to supercharging our alliance to bring security and growth. pic.twitter.com/Z2793GyfGs
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) September 10, 2024
Russia has received ballistic missiles from Iran and ‘will likely use them within weeks’ in Ukraine, US warns
Russia has now received shipments of ballistic missiles from Iran and “will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine against Ukrainians,” the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said today.
The secretary of state said that Washington has warned Tehran both publicly and privately that providing ballistic missiles would “constitute a dramatic escalation.”
“This development and the growing cooperation between Russia and Iran threatens European security and demonstrates how Iran’s destabilising influence reaches far beyond the Middle East,” he said.
Blinken also said the US will announce new sanctions on Iran.
The British foreign secretary, David Lammy, called the supply of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia a “significant escalation”.
