LUXEMBOURG: At a meeting in Luxembourg, EU foreign ministers on Monday imposed sanctions on prominent Iranian officials and entities, including airlines, accused of taking part in the transfer of missiles and drones for Russia to use against Ukraine. They also called on Israel to stop attacking UN peacekeepers at the Israel-Lebanon border.
European Union foreign ministers approved the sanctions on seven entities, including Iran Air, and seven individuals, including deputy defence minister Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari and senior officials of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, the bloc said.
Leading European powers Britain, France and Germany adopted similar sanctions last month over Iranian missile transfers to Russia, as did the United States. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the adoption of the sanctions by the entire bloc, while adding: “More is needed.”
“The Iranian regime’s support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is unacceptable and must stop,” she posted on social media.
Two other Iranian airlines, Saha Airlines and Mahan Air, were hit under the EU measures, along with two procurement firms blamed for the “transfer and supply, through transnational procurement networks, of Iran-made drones and related components and technologies to Russia”. –Agencies
