A picture taken in Brussels on April 18, 2023, shows European flags at the Berlaymont building which houses the headquarters of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union. (James Arthur Gekiere/Belga/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)
(Tribune News Service) — The European Union is progressing toward a package of sanctions targeting Iran for providing Russia with ballistic missiles, according to people familiar with the matter.
A first set of measures would hit about a dozen individuals and entities, including engineering, metals and aviation companies, the people said. The bloc aims to approve the move by the time E.U. leaders gather for a summit in Brussels later this month, said the people.
Iran delivered ballistic missiles to Russia last month, according to U.S. and European assessments. That prompted an initial set of penalties from the U.S., Germany, France and the U.K. Iran has also provided Moscow with hundreds of attack drones and other weapons during Russia’s 2 1/2-year war against Ukraine, but the transfer of ballistic missiles marks deeper involvement in the conflict. Tehran denies sending the missiles to Russia.
Ukraine’s armed forces said last week that they had taken out a stockpile of weapons in Russia that included a cache of Iranian missiles.
The E.U.’s restrictions would be a first response to the provision of missiles and additional listings are being assessed, said the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss closed-door conversations.
E.U. sanctions require the backing of all member states and the plans could change before that happens.
Separately, the U.S. has said it will sanction Iran for its recent attack on Israel and wants allies to do the same, another person said.
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