October 15, 2024 | Flash Brief

EU and UK Sanction Iranian Targets in Protest of Tehran’s Transfer of Weapons to Russia and Attack on Israel

October 15, 2024 | Flash Brief

EU and UK Sanction Iranian Targets in Protest of Tehran’s Transfer of Weapons to Russia and Attack on Israel

Latest Developments

The European Union (EU) joined the United Kingdom (UK) in sanctioning seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and multiple Iranian airlines on October 14. In March, the EU said that “were Iran to transfer ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia for use against Ukraine, the EU would be prepared to respond swiftly, including with new and significant restrictive measures.” The United States revealed on September 10 that Iran had supplied a number of close-range ballistic missiles to Russia.

The United Kingdom on October 14 imposed additional sanctions on Iranian military targets and organizations linked to the development of Iranian ballistic and cruise missiles. The measures come in response to Iran’s October 1 attack on Israel, which featured nearly 200 ballistic missiles launched from Iranian territory.

Among the seven individuals and seven entities targeted in the newest round of sanctions are Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari, Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian army Abdolrahim Mousavi, Iran Air, and the Iranian Space Agency. The sanctions entail the freezing of individual’s or organization’s assets and a complete travel ban to EU countries. Iran Air is no longer flying into Europe, according to a spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization.

Expert Analysis

“The biggest impact here is the European Union joining the United States and the United Kingdom in designating Iran Air, increasing Tehran’s isolation. The missile and military sanctions, however, remain unimpressive when London and Brussels refuse to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization and the United Kingdom refuses to trigger the snapback of UN missile and conventional arms embargoes on Iran.”  Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor

“While these designations are a positive step, they lack strategic depth. Europeans should utilize the UN’s snapback mechanism to send a clear message to Tehran and its supporters in Beijing and Moscow.” —Saeed Ghasseminejad, FDD Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor

Iran Reaches ‘Good Understanding’ With Qatar on $6 Billion of Frozen Assets Despite Earlier U.S. Assurances,” FDD Flash Brief

U.S. Sanctions Key Iranian Human Rights Abusers,” FDD Flash Brief

Expiration of UN Ban on Iran’s Missile Development Will Strengthen U.S. Adversaries,” FDD Flash Brief

Issues:

Issues:

Iran Iran Missiles Iran Sanctions Israel Israel at War Russia Sanctions and Illicit Finance Ukraine