Iran has vowed to deliver a “symmetric and proportionate” response after Britain, France, and Germany canceled air services agreements with Tehran and pledged to sanction its flag carrier, Iran Air.
The European trio, known as the E3, said in a joint statement on September 10 that they were taking the measures after confirming that Iran had transferred ballistic missiles to Russia.
Separately, the United States designated 10 individuals and six entities based in Iran and Russia, including Iran Air, over the alleged delivery of the ballistic missiles.
In a statement late on September 10, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani called the allegation “completely baseless and false.”
“The actions of these three European countries is a continuation of the West’s hostile policy and imposition of economic terrorism against the people of Iran,” he said in a statement on Telegram.
“It will face a symmetrical and proportionate response.”
In their statement, the E3 said the suspected delivery of ballistic missiles “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.”
SEE ALSO: Live Briefing: Russia Invades UkraineIran has been hit with several tranches of sanctions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 over Moscow's use of Iranian-made Shahed and Mohajer drones in the war.
Iran still denies that its drones are being used in the war and insists it is not taking sides in the conflict.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his British counterpart, David Lammy, officially accused Iran of the missile transfers earlier on September 10 in London.
"Russia has now received shipments of these [Iranian] ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine against Ukrainians," Blinken said.
The Kremlin has yet to comment on Blinken's statement.
A day earlier it declined to directly refute the accusation about Iranian-supplied missiles and instead highlighted its cooperation with Tehran, saying it was developing dialogue in all areas.
Tehran has denied supplying missiles to Moscow.
Experts agree that short-range ballistic missiles could be a boost to Moscow's war effort in neighboring Ukraine, which already benefits from Iranian drone supplies and technology.
SEE ALSO: How Would Iran Benefit From Exporting Ballistic Missiles To Russia?Peter Stano, spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, said the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia represents a further military escalation and will be met with a "strong response" from the European Union.
The EU's diplomatic service has already presented the bloc's members with "a substantial set of decisive and targeted measures" against Iran in response to the transfer, Stano said.
Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, said on September 10 that new sanctions against Iran over the missile deliveries would be a "positive step" but said it was not enough.
"We also need authorization to use Western weapons against military targets on Russian territory, the provision of longer-range missiles, and the enhancement of our air-defense systems," Yermak said on X.