The U.K. government hit Iran with new sanctions Monday for sending ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia to support the war against Ukraine.
The Foreign Office said it would freeze assets for Iran’s national airline and its state-owned shipping company that helped transfer weapons. The state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) will face an asset freeze for its role in supplying weapons to Russia for use on the battlefield against Ukraine, Britain said.
Britain will also sanction the Russian cargo ship Port Olya-3 that delivered the missiles from Iran.
“Iran’s attempts to undermine global security are dangerous and unacceptable," Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement in advance of announcing the sanctions at the U.N. Security Council. “Alongside our international partners, we were clear that any transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia would face a significant response."
The announcement came on the eve of the 1,000th day of the war in Ukraine and the day after U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use missiles supplied by Washington to strike deeper inside Russia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the G20 summit in Brazil that “we need to double down” to support Ukraine as long as necessary.
The asset freezes will restrict Iran Air’s ability to operate direct services to and from the United Kingdom and will prevent U.K. citizens or businesses from financial dealings with those entities, the office said.
The actions follow a previous round of sanctions against Iran and Russia that Britain announced in September alongside Germany and France.
