EU Imposes Sanctions on Iranian Officials and Airlines for Supplying Drones to Russia
The European Union imposed new sanctions on a group of top Iranian officials and businesses on Monday, targeting its deputy defense minister, high-ranking members of the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, as well as three airlines accused of funneling drones, missiles, and other equipment to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine.
Deputy Defense Minister Hamzeh Ghalandari was among seven officials to have their assets frozen and outright banned from traveling to any of the 27 member states that make up the supranational bloc. The EU specified that Ghalandari was named due to his certain “involvement in the development of Iran’s drone and missile program.”
EU officials said that they had frozen the assets of the targeted airlines—Iran Air, Mahan Air, and Saha Airlines—for allegedly transferring Iranian-made drones and related technologies to Russia for direct use in its war in Ukraine.
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EU member state foreign ministers approved the sanctions during a meeting in Luxembourg.
Earlier this year, the EU warned that if Iran provided ballistic missiles or associated technologies to Russia, it would respond with major punitive measures.
EU member states, with Hungary as an exception, have provided Ukraine with over 118 billion euros ($129 billion) in military, economic, and other forms of support since 2022.
However, many of the EU’s leading states, especially compared to the US, have maintained far more friendly relations with Iran in recent years, making Monday’s decision a significant step.
