The US, UK, France and Germany announced new sanctions on Iran for supplying Russia with short-range ballistic missiles to use in its war in Ukraine.
Alongside the sanctions announced Tuesday, “the Department of State is concurrently designating three entities, including Iran Air, and identifying five vessels as blocked property involved in the proliferation of Iranian weapons systems to Russia”, the Treasury Department said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Britain, France and Germany announced new sanctions targeting Iran’s air transport, including the cancellation of bilateral air service agreements with the Islamic Republic.
But Iran Air can potentially keep flying to the UK, France and Germany for the next year, even though new sanctions imposed on Tehran by these countries include ending direct air travel with Iran.
The Foreign Office told The National: “It is internationally established practice that air services arrangements should be accorded time to wind down, and a 12-month period is the norm”.
Iran Air currently operates two flights weekly from Heathrow, as well as direct routes to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, Vienna, Milan, Rome and Paris.
Relations between Iran and the Western World have been rather icy in recent decades. Iranian airlines was previously banned from flying to Europe between 2010 and 2016 and briefly in 2020.
