Luxembourg, October 15: The European Union sanctioned three Iranian airlines - Saha Airlines, Mahan Air and Iran Air - on Monday after Iran supplied Russia with ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine.
"The Iranian regime's support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is unacceptable and must stop," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on social media platform X.
The EU sanctions, including a freeze on assets held in the bloc and a travel ban on individuals, entered into force after their publication in the EU Official Journal, a register of EU laws.
Two Iranian procurement firms, the Teyf Tadbir Engineering Company and the Basamad Electronic Pouya Engineering Company, were also targeted.
In total, seven organizations and seven individuals were targeted by the EU.
Iranian Deputy Defence Minister Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari was sanctioned alongside high-ranking officers in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The EU had previously warned Iran several times against passing on ballistic missiles to Moscow and views the step as breaching a new taboo.
Iran has vehemently denied supplying Russia with the weapons.
According to Tehran, the country has a strategic cooperation with Moscow, although this is not related to the war in Ukraine. Tehran maintains that providing military aid to warring parties is inhumane.
EU foreign ministers were meeting in Luxembourg to discuss more support for Ukraine against the all-out Russian invasion, despite Hungarian resistance.
The bloc also hit Russian actors and organizations accused of destabilizing Moldova's democracy and security with new sanctions ahead of a crunch referendum on EU membership and presidential elections later this month.
Evrazia, a Russia-based non-governmental organization (NGO) was one of the entities targeted. A statement from top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said Evrazia's goal was to promote Russia's interests abroad, including in Moldova." The EU also sanctioned Evrazia's director and founder, Nelli Parutenco. Four other individuals were targeted including Evghenia Gu?ul, a separatist politician in Moldova.
"Russia is spending no efforts to subvert the electoral process through hybrid attacks and widespread illegal vote buying," Borrell said later in a press conference.
Another major issue was Hungary's year-and-a-half-long blockade of a key EU military aid policy for Ukraine, the European Peace Facility (EPF), worth ?6.6 billion ($7.2 billion).
Budapest does not want to send arms to Ukraine, believing that doing so only prolongs the war.
A plan presented by Borrell during the meeting would make contributions to the EPF fund voluntary, instead of mandatory, as a technical workaround to Hungary's opposition.
Borrell said the bloc was "almost there" to overcoming the Hungarian veto.
New Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha spoke with EU foreign ministers via video link. Borrell welcomed his contribution in a post on X and promised new deliveries of weapons for Ukraine.
British Foreign Minister David Lammy was also in Luxembourg, the first time a British foreign minister attended a gathering of EU foreign ministers alone since Britain left the EU in 2020.
Source: Qatar Tribune