The EU will deliberate on Iranian drones that Moscow utilized to terrorize the Ukrainians, with sanctions on individuals connected to them.Russian forces have recently utilized Shahed-136 'suicide' drones as Tehran denies it, and the Kremlin ignored the European Union ministers.
Russia Used Iran-Made Drones in Ukraine
Three drones controlled by Russian forces hit the small town of Makariv, west of Ukraine's capital, early Thursday, with experts saying that critical infrastructure installations had been damaged by what they claimed were Iranian suicide UAVs, reported Euractiv.
An assessment of unmanned aerial systems activity has been conducted, as shown by envoys quoting preliminary conferences ahead of Monday's ministerial meeting in Luxembourg, with the topic currently on the agenda. The officials said that although an arrangement on new listings was still not feasible on Monday, there may be a political settlement that might open the door for punitive measures later, noted Reuters.
The bloc is now planning to impose travel restrictions and financial sanctions on 15 Iranians involved in the crackdown on protests that began last month in response to the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, citing The Intelligencer.
Members of the EU, all parties involved in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, had already stated that they assumed additional sanctions about the unmanned aerial vehicles in use by Moscow were necessary and that any Iranian drones in transactions should be viewed as a contravention of resolution 2231 of the United Nations Security Council 2231.
Resolution 2231 supported the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six powers that restricted Tehran's enriched uranium activity, making it more challenging for Iran to advance nuclear arms even as international pressure is lifted.
An EU representative remarked that foreign ministers might bring up Iran this Monday but declined to elaborate as to whether Iranian drones or punishments on UAV transfers will be on the priority list.
France's foreign office stated on Thursday it would seek advice from its European partners about how to react to the drone operation, which for the first time connected Iran's prospective stockpiles with the UN Security Council resolution, and said such behavior is an infringement of it.
Limiting Iran To Develop Nuclear Arms
Based on the resolution, Iran has been subject to an arms embargo till October 2020.
Notwithstanding the US attempts to extend the arms embargo under former President Donald Trump, who backed away from the deal through 2018, the Security Council rebuffed this, enabling Iran to renew its armaments exports.
The decision maintains constraints on missile systems and related technology until October 2023, including those encompassing the importation and procurement of cutting-edge military components.
A diplomatic reference has said that the UAVs in question fall under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), an informal political understanding among 35 states that aims to control the propagation of missiles, missile systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles, revenues that would infringe the agreement.
Questions on the interest of the EU in restricting the sales of Iranian drones to Moscow; one could be the US is preventing an already bad situation that its proxy in Ukraine will suffer badly with such weapons deployed against it.
