France, Germany and the United Kingdom (E3) issued a joint statement condemning the export of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia and said they would take immediate steps to cancel bilateral agreements with Iran on air travel and announce other restrictions. The statement was published on the website of the German Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, UNN reports.
Details
"The governments of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom strongly condemn Iran’s export and Russia’s procurement of Iranian ballistic missiles. This is a further escalation of Iran’s military support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and will see Iranian missiles reaching European soil, increasing the suffering of the Ukrainian people. This act is an escalation by both Iran and Russia, and is a direct threat to European security," the statement reads.
"The E3 has privately and publicly been clear that we would take new and significant measures against Iran if the transfers took place. We now have confirmation that Iran has made these transfers. We will be taking immediate steps to cancel bilateral air services agreements with Iran. In addition, we will pursue the designations of significant entities and individuals involved with Iran’s ballistic missile programme and the transfer of ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia. We will also work towards imposing sanctions on Iran Air," France, Germany and the United Kingdom said.
The E3 countries are reportedly "closely coordinating a strong response to these deliveries with our European and international partners." "We call on Iran to immediately cease all support to Russia’s war against Ukraine and halt the development and transfers of its ballistic missiles," the statement said.