UK, France and Germany halt Iran flights after Tehran sends missiles to Russia

Iran 's aviation sector is under more sanctions after Iran supplied ballistic missiles to Russia that will be used against Ukraine “within weeks”, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday. Speaking alongside UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy , Mr Blinken said that Tehran’s supply of short-range missiles will intensify the conflict and Iran faces more sanctions. Mr Blinken said the weapons were transferred in spite of private and public warnings to Tehran that supplying missiles to Russia would constitute a “dramatic escalation”. France , Germany and the UK said they would restrict flights to and from Iran, with the European states issuing a joint statement condemning Iran’s move as a “direct threat to European security ”. They said they aim to cancel air services agreements with the country, which are necessary for direct flights to Iran. Iran Air has faced restrictions for decades as a result of US sanctions that prevent the country from importing civilian aircraft and parts from international companies like Boeing and Airbus . Most of the airline’s fleet was banned from the EU over safety concerns from 2010 to 2016. It has also faced refuelling restrictions that have occasionally forced its planes to make additional stops during longer flights. In addition, the US has imposed more sanctions on Iran Air, as well as ships and companies it said were involved in supplying Moscow with Iranian weapons. The US has also taken measures against companies and individuals involved in Iran and Russia's military co-operation. Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that reports of Iranian weapons transfers to Russia are "ugly propaganda" to conceal Western military support to Israel. "The publication of false and misleading reports about the transfer of Iranian weapons to some countries is simply an ugly propaganda to conceal the large illegal arms support of the United States and some western countries for the genocide in Gaza ," ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a post on X. "This action by the three European countries is the continuation of the West's hostile policy and economic terrorism against the people of Iran, and it will face a proportionate response by Iran," Mr Kanaani later said in statement on the ministry's Telegram page. Iran’s transfer of what intelligence sources suggested were 400 short-range missiles, were most likely the Fateh 360 weapons with a range of 120km, Mr Blinken said. Dozens of Russian personnel had been trained on their use in Iran, he added. Their impact will give Russia the “flexibility” to use its long-range missiles on Ukraine’s infrastructure by freeing them up from the front line. The missiles also “threaten European security” and demonstrated that Iran’s influence “reaches far beyond the Middle East”, said Mr Blinken. In return for the missiles, Russia was sharing technology with Iran including on nuclear issues and information on space development. “As Iran's destabilising activity spreads, so does Russia sowing even greater insecurity in their regions and around the world.” The missiles added to Moscow’s capacity and “fuels the war”, Mr Blinken added, naming North Korea for providing lethal aid and China for assisting Russia’s defence industrial base. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that his administration was looking at the possibility of authorising Ukraine to use long-range, US-made missiles against Russia. "We're working that out right now," Mr Biden told reporters as he left the White House for New York. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , without naming Iran, said he will consolidiate a strong world response to those helping Russia and inciting or prolonging the war. Mr Blinken and Mr Lammy also announced that they would travel to Ukraine in the coming days for what might prove a milestone meeting with Mr Zelenskyy. They are certain to discuss the use of western supplied, long-range missiles against targets such as airfields up to 300km inside Russia to weaken its aerial bombardment, which cost hundreds of Ukrainian civilians lives. There will be “significant economic consequences for Tehran's actions” Mr Blinken said as Britain, US, Germany and France announced another tranche of sanctions. A joint statement by Britain, Germany and France said the effect of the shipments was that “Iranian missiles will reach European territory”. They said they “firmly condemned” Iran's actions and that they, too, had privately threatened the Iranian government with sanctions. “We now have confirmation that Iran has carried out these transfers,” the statement from their foreign ministries said. “We call on Iran to immediately withdraw any support for Russia's war in Ukraine and to stop the transfer of ballistic rockets.” Despite Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stating that they wanted to restore engagement with Europe and achieve sanctions relief “destabilising actions like these will achieve exactly the opposite”, Mr Blinken said. Mr Lammy also decried the secret weapons’ supply. “This is a troubling pattern that we're seeing from Iran,” he said. “It is definitely a significant escalation, and we are coordinating action, and we will have more to say on that very shortly.” Speaking to reporters, US National Security spokesman John Kirby said: “Moscow possesses an array of its own ballistic missiles, of course, but the supply of these Iranian missiles, which have a maximum range of about 75 miles, could allow Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets beyond the front line, while employing Iranian warheads for closer range targets. “This is deeply concerning, and it certainly speaks to the manner in which this partnership threatens European security, and how it illustrates Iran’s destabilising influence now, which is well beyond the Middle East.” Iran has denied arming Russia's military, as it has with previous US intelligence findings. It is already under sanction for providing Moscow with kamikaze drones, and for its own nuclear activities and crackdown on public protests, but passing missiles to the Kremlin had been seen as a red line. A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Iran was an “important partner” with which Moscow was “developing co-operation and dialogue”. He said of the alleged missile transfers that “this kind of information is not true every time.” During the press conference in the British Foreign Office’s Locarno Room, Mr Blinken roundly condemned the occupied West Bank killing of American-Turkish dual national, Ayşenur Eygi , by Israeli forces. In some of his harshest criticisms of Israel to date, Mr Blinken said: “No one should be shot and killed for attending a protest. In our judgment, Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way that they operate in the West Bank, including changes to their rules of engagement.” But he was more upbeat on the progress of ceasefire talks, stating that 90 per cent of the issues had been agreed although the last 10 metres “were the hardest ground to cover”. It is understood that which country remains in control of the Salah Al Din corridor , a narrow strip running along Gaza ’s border with Egypt , is a significant reason for the hold up. “It is in the strong interest that everyone in the region has in being able to get the ceasefire concluded,” Mr Blinken said. Mr Lammy was also asked during the press conference about the role the UAE and other Middle East countries could potentially play in post-ceasefire Gaza. The Foreign Secretary, who visited the Emirates last week to meet Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed , Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss the latest developments in the region, said it was “important to speak to Arab partners across the region”. But central to Gaza stability whenever a ceasefire was agreed would be “on the day after” and “the security guarantees that are important for Israel to have”. “Arab partners and certainly the UAE are showing some forward leaning in their commitment to securing that,” he said.

UK, France and Germany halt Iran flights after Tehran sends missiles to Russia

Europe’s E3 taking immediate steps to cancel bilateral air services with Iran