The United Kingdom government has imposed new sanctions on Iran for its role in sending ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia to support the ongoing war in Ukraine. The Foreign Office announced that it will freeze assets belonging to Iran's national airline and state-owned shipping company, which facilitated the transfer of weapons. Additionally, sanctions will be imposed on the Russian cargo ship Port Olya-3, which was responsible for delivering the missiles from Iran.
In a statement, Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned Iran's actions, labeling them as dangerous and unacceptable. The sanctions were announced ahead of a meeting at the U.N. Security Council, where the UK government made its stance clear on any transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia.
The timing of the sanctions coincides with the 1,000th day of the conflict in Ukraine and follows U.S. President Joe Biden's authorization for Ukraine to use missiles provided by the United States to target locations within Russia. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking at the G20 summit in Brazil, emphasized the need for continued support to Ukraine for as long as necessary.
The asset freezes imposed by the UK government will impact Iran Air's ability to operate direct services to and from the United Kingdom. Furthermore, UK citizens and businesses will be prohibited from engaging in any financial transactions with the sanctioned entities. These measures build upon previous sanctions announced in September, which targeted both Iran and Russia in collaboration with Germany and France.
