The United States is preparing to sanction Iran over allegations of missile shipments, escalating tensions and raising concerns over regional security and compliance with international agreements.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that the United States would enforce new sanctions against Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s supposed provision of missiles to Moscow. “Psychological warfare,” according to Iran, refutes the allegations.
On Tuesday, Blinken addressed the press and alleged that Iran had dispatched a quantity of Fath-360 short-range ballistic missiles to Russia.
He stated that they had given Tehran both public and private warnings stating that taking this action would lead to a perilous escalation. He went on to say how Russia has recently acquired these missiles and will most likely utilize them in Ukraine within the coming weeks.
Blinken stated that later on Tuesday there will be an announcement of new sanctions, which includes the targeting of Iran Air – the Islamic Republic’s national airline.
The Wall Street Journal reported about the missile deliveries on Friday, which was later confirmed by an EU representative on Monday and Blinken on Tuesday.
Iran firmly rejects the allegation. Fazlollah Nozari, a high-ranking military official, stated to Iranian media on Monday that “there was no missile sent to Russia” and assessed this claim as an attempt of psychological manipulation. Moreover, Nozari affirmed that Iran is impartial towards both sides involved in the Ukraine-Russia dispute by saying: “Iran does not provide any support whatsoever.”
Later that day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani stated to reporters, “We vehemently dispute the allegations of Iran’s involvement in exporting weapons to a single party in the conflict. Those who accuse Iran are themselves major suppliers of arms to one side of this war.”
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, refrained from flatly denying the allegations. He informed RIA Novosti on Monday that they have reviewed the report and it is not always reliable information.
He added that Iran is a crucial partner, and they are enhancing their trade and economic ties. This includes the most delicate areas in their partnership, which they will persist in for the benefit of both nations’ populations.
Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran has been subjected to sanctions by the US. Presently, Washington’s economic blacklist encompasses roughly 5,000 Iranian individuals and entities who are barred from conducting business with American companies. A few of these existing sanctions pertain to Tehran’s purported supply of kamikaze drones to Russia’s military and target sectors including aerospace and weapons firms in Iran.
Tehran, similar to its denial of selling ballistic missiles, refutes the sale of “Shahed” drones to Russia. Iran asserts that only a limited quantity of self-destructing UAVs were sent to Moscow prior to the Ukraine conflict. However, Russia insists on producing its kamikaze drone named ‘Geran-2,’ which shares an uncannily resemblant design with Iran’s ‘Shahed-136′ aircraft.’
North Korea has been accused by the US of providing Russia with artillery shells, while China is under scrutiny for supplying “dual use” tools and electronics that can be utilized in both military and civilian purposes.
