New sanctions against Tehran for selling arms to Russia for the war in Ukraine
The more than unstable situation in Iran continues to be compounded by new episodes that shake up the reality of the country presided over by Ebrahim Raisi. While the streets of Tehran are flooded with thousands of citizens protesting day after day to put an end to the dictatorship, Europe is accusing the regime of selling arms to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine. Kiev is not alone. It has the support of its European partners, whose foreign ministers will meet on Monday to discuss the possible sale of Iranian suicide drones to Moscow.
Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones are being used by Russian troops to wreak havoc on Ukrainian lines. You don't have to go too far back in time to name an attack perpetrated with them. On Thursday this week, Russia used three suicide drones to attack the city of Makariv, west of the Ukrainian capital. However, Tehran denies that the Shahed-136s were sold "for use in the war in Ukraine". Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian added that 'the Islamic Republic of Iran has not and will not provide any weapons to be used in the war in Ukraine'.
The ties between Iran and Russia are undeniable, and neither side, despite the conflicts in which the two are embroiled, refuses to acknowledge. Amir-Abdollahian explained that while they have "defence cooperation with Russia (...), the policy with regard to the war in Ukraine is not to send weapons to the warring parties, to stop the war and to end the displacement of people". These words do not entirely convince either Ukraine or EU countries, even though the Iranian minister himself had a telephone conversation with EU High Representative Josep Borrell in which he reiterated Iran's neutral position on the war.
Not surprisingly, Kiev does not want to believe the Iranians' words. Already last month, Ukraine decided to significantly reduce relations with Tehran over alleged arms shipments to Russia. Now, the indications that led to the distancing of the country led by Vlodimir Zelensky are gaining even more strength. However, Iran claims that the news of the arms sales to the Russians is 'driven by unfounded information provided by foreign media propaganda' and reiterates that 'we have not considered and do not consider war to be the right path either in Ukraine or in Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen', according to Amir-Abdollahian.
One of the most important aspects of this possible sale of drones by Iran is that it would be a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231. This resolution is linked to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed in 2015 and unilaterally abandoned by the United States under President Donald Trump in 2018. While it is true that the arms embargo on Iran expired two years ago, the resolution includes restrictions on missiles and technologies, including these Shahed-136 drones, until October 2023.
If confirmed, the sale of the suicide drones would run counter to this resolution, which prevents the export and purchase of advanced military systems. This violation would also bring with it new economic sanctions for the regime led by Ali Khamenei, which, in the meantime, is experiencing one of its most complicated moments since it came to power due to the protests against the dictatorship. It is precisely these possible sanctions that make up one of the measures advocated by several experts to weaken Iran's economic muscle, and to help as much as possible the demonstrators fighting in the streets against the Ayatollah theocracy.