US, UK, France and Germany to impose sanctions on Iran over transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia - White House
The United States and European countries will impose additional sanctions on Iran over the transfer of short-range ballistic missiles to Russia.
This was stated by the White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby, Censor.NET reports citing Voice of America.
The White House spokesman said that dozens of Russian military personnel have been trained in Iran to work with these missiles, and after receiving these missiles, Russia plans to use them against Ukrainian civilians "in the coming weeks."
"This will certainly result in the death of Ukrainian civilians, especially given the way they use ballistic missiles against civilian infrastructure," Kirby told reporters at a briefing on September 10.
He emphasized that although Russia has its own ballistic missiles, the supply of Iranian short-range missiles up to 75 miles (120 km - ed.) allows Russia to fire at the territory of Ukraine farther from its borders. The advantage of such missiles is their high speed, which is why, according to Kirby, the latest aid package to Ukraine included additional air defense capabilities. And Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is working with partners within the Ramstein Group to provide Ukraine with additional Patriot missiles to counter this particular threat.
Kirby said that cooperation between Iran and Russia, including Moscow's transfer of nuclear and space technology to Iran, is destabilizing far beyond the borders of both countries and will have consequences.
"Later today, the United Kingdom, France and Germany will announce their intention to suspend some lucrative commercial ties with Iran and companies associated with the state. We will follow up with our own sanctions, which will be announced later this morning by the Treasury Department and the State Department. They will include additional measures against Iran Air. We also expect our allies and partners to announce their own measures against Iran," Kirby said.
He added that this is a "clear message" from the three European countries and the United States that "if Iran continues to support the war in Ukraine, there will be significant economic costs."
Kirby refused to name the number of missiles that Russia may have received from Iran.
On September 10, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that Russia had received short-range ballistic missiles from Iran that it could use against Ukraine in the next few weeks.
