US and EU Sanction Iran Over Missile Shipments to Russia

The United States Department of State and the European Union imposed sanctions on Iranian airlines, procurement firms, and Russian shipping companies after Iran supplied Russia with an estimated $2.7 billion in military hardware. Since October 2021, these transfers included over 400 short-range ballistic missiles, Shahed attack drones, and approximately 300,000 artillery shells used in the invasion of Ukraine.

While Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations denies providing military assistance to either party, Russia has worked to sustain its war effort by localizing the production of Shahed drones at a plant in Alabuga, Tatarstan. Additionally, Russia has increased its reliance on North Korea for explosives and munitions, leading to a decline in the strategic importance of Iranian imports.

U.S. officials stated that the sanctions are intended to constrain the transfer of ballistic missiles and other destabilizing activities. The military pipeline has largely relied on hubs such as the Caspian port of Olya, which has been targeted by Ukrainian drone strikes.