U.S. & U.K. Sanction 5 Russian Cargo Ships For Transporting Military Supplies From Iran To Russia

The United States and the United Kingdom have imposed major sanctions on Iran and Russia in response to Iran’s supply of ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine.

The UK government has imposed sanctions against five Russian cargo ships suspected of carrying military equipment from Iran to Russia. The vessels were identified as BALTIYSKIY, BEGEY, MUSA JALIL, OMSKIY, and SKIF-V.

The United Kingdom has cancelled bilateral air service arrangements with Iran, restricted Iran Air’s access to the UK, and imposed sanctions on individuals and organizations involved in Iran’s military support for Russia.

The UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, described Iran’s transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia as a “significant and dangerous escalation.”

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh reiterated the UK’s stance, stating that they would continue to use every lever at their disposal to put pressure on Iran to end its support for Putin’s illegal invasion.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has also imposed new sanctions on ten individuals and six companies based in Iran and Russia and designated four vessels as blocked property.

These vessels, owned and operated by MG-FLOT Limited Liability Company (previously TransMorFlot LLC), have been suspected of facilitating the transport of Iranian military components and systems to Russia.

The sanctioned ships, BORIS KUSTODIEV, KOMPOZITOR RAKHMANINOV, PORT OLYA-3, and PORT OLYA-4, regularly transited the Caspian Sea, transporting cargo between Iran and Russia.

Wally Adeyemo, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, stated that Iran has increased its involvement in Russia’s “illegal war” and that the United States, along with its partners, will continue to support Ukraine.

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom criticized Iran’s transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia.

In a joint statement, the countries urged Iran to immediately cease all support for Russia’s war against Ukraine and halt the development and transfer of its ballistic missiles. They described the act as a direct threat to European security and an escalation by both Iran and Russia.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Russia has acquired ballistic missiles from Iran and could use them in its war with Ukraine within weeks.

According to Blinken, the acquisition of Iranian missiles allows Russia to allocate more of its arsenal to long-range targets while deploying the newly acquired missiles for closer-range attacks.

The United Kingdom government is preparing new laws to strengthen trade sanctions against Iran, targeting items used in the production of ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other weapons.

The sanctions are part of a larger effort by the United States, United Kingdom, and their allies to reduce Iran’s support for Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.

Reference: UK Government

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Source: Maritime Shipping News