On Monday 18 November, the Council of the EU decided to extend the scope of the EU sanctions framework in relation to Iran’s military support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and for armed groups and entities in the Middle East and Red Sea region.
It is now forbidden to export, transfer, supply or sell to Iran components used in the development and production of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In addition, it is prohibited to conduct any transactions with ports and locks that are owned, operated or controlled by persons and entities on the sanctions list or that are used for the transfer of Iranian UAVs or missiles or related technologies and components to Russia.
This includes access to port and lock facilities, such as the Iranian ports of Amirabad and Anzali, and the provision of any services to ships, except for ships requiring assistance for reasons of maritime safety, for humanitarian purposes or in connection with events likely to have a serious impact on human health and safety or on the environment.
In addition, the EU Council adopted measures against the Iranian national shipping company IRISL and its director, Mohammad Reza Khiabani, and three Russian shipping companies – MG Flot, VTS Broker and Arapax – whose vessels are involved in transporting Iranian-made arms and munitions.
Combating support for Russia. In addition to Iranian support, the ministers also discussed support from North Korea and China.
“Without Iran, without China, Russia could not support its military effort”, stressed the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. “China’s role is becoming increasingly important. The leading supplier of dual-use goods” to Russia, he regretted. The head of diplomacy said he did not know how reliable the reports were of possible drone production in China for Russia.
On her arrival at the Council, the German minister, Annalena Baerbock, warned that the delivery of Chinese drones to Russia would have “consequences”. “China’s economic support for Russia represents a serious challenge, and any direct delivery of arms is unacceptable”, added her Czech counterpart, Jan Lipavský. “China is one of the main suppliers of Russia’s military action in Ukraine”, said the Lithuanian minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, believing that it was possible, together with the United States, to send a strong message that the West would not allow this support. “If we don’t, it helps to solidify the coalition of chaos formed with Russia’s help, including Iran, North Korea, Belarus and China”, he warned.
Strengthening support for Ukraine. The ministers also discussed the support that the EU can provide to Ukraine. “It is time for Europe to assume its responsibilities and strategic responsibility in the face of Russian attacks such as those on Sunday”, stressed Mr Borrell, while the previous day Ukraine had been hit by “waves of missiles”. In his view, European support should be military, but also financial and in terms of sanctions against Russia. “History will judge us by what we did when we had to face difficult times”, warned the High Representative.
At his last EU Council meeting, Lithuania’s Gabrielius Landsbergis called on the EU to adopt a new strategy of “strength” rather than of “weakness”. “The strategy of how we have helped Ukraine over the last three years, almost 1,000 days, has been a failure. Peace through appeasement is a failing strategy (...) To really support Ukraine, we need strength, I’m talking about armaments, real lifting of all restrictions”, he said.
On their arrival at the EU Council, the High Representative and several ministers welcomed the US decision to lift restrictions on the use of US weapons to strike military targets on Russian territory.
“The US decision is very important. I was explained what it means when air defence is no longer enough because you don’t have enough time to protect yourself, so you’re literally living underground. The right to self-defence means that we do not have to wait for a rocket to hit a children’s hospital, a school or a building, but that we can of course protect ourselves by destroying this military terror as soon as it is launched”, said Ms Baerbock.
“No limitations, apart from international law, should apply to Ukraine”, added Gabrielius Landsbergis, arguing that allowing a country to defend itself was not an escalation of the conflict, but a principle of the United Nations Charter.
Mr Borrell said that the lifting of restrictions, which apply to up to 300 km inside Russian territory, was “better than nothing” but that it was not “a spectacular distance”. “The US administration’s decision will have to be supported, we need weapons not just to stop the (missiles) that are coming, but to attack at the source”, he added, while specifying that the decision on whether or not to lift the restrictions was a national one.
Questioned on this point, Minister Jean Noël Barrot recalled that in May, French President Emmanuel Macron had explained that lifting the restrictions was “an option that we would consider, if we had to authorise strikes on targets from which the Russians are attacking Ukrainian territory”. “So there’s nothing new under the sun”, he added.
Italy’s Antonio Tajani also reiterated his country’s position: “We will continue to follow the line we have always followed, that of using our weapons on Ukrainian territory, our line will not change”.
In a joint statement on Saturday, the leaders of the G7 countries reaffirmed their “unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as necessary”. “Russia remains the only obstacle to a just and lasting peace. The G7 confirms its commitment to impose high costs on Russia through sanctions, export controls and other effective measures”, they warned.
To see the sanctions on Iran: https://aeur.eu/f/edk (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)