Europe to press US over alleged Russian support for Iran

Russian support Iran: EU demands US evidence on Moscow’s alleged arms transfers to Tehran

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

European Union foreign ministers will press the United States this week to provide intelligence backing claims that Russia has supplied advanced military components to Iran, officials said.

The bloc wants satellite imagery and intercepted communications to verify Pentagon assertions that Moscow shipped air defense radars and ballistic missile guidance systems to Tehran in March.

The request comes as Washington weighs expanding sanctions on both nations and European powers fear another Middle East escalation if weapons flow increase.

European foreign ministers plan to raise the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during NATO talks in Brussels on Thursday, three EU diplomats told reporters.

The diplomats asked not to be named because the discussions remained private.

Russia’s embassy in Washington denied transferring any military hardware to Iran last week and called the reports “groundless speculation”.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to written questions sent Monday.

Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder told reporters on March 28 that “recent Russian flights to Iran carried components specifically for surface-to-air missile production”.

He provided no photographs or technical specifications.

European governments have previously accepted US intelligence on Iranian arms transfers to Russia for use in Ukraine, including hundreds of Shahed drones documented by Ukrainian forces.

They remain cautious about reversing the flow claim without corroboration, officials said.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told public broadcaster ARD on Sunday that “concrete evidence is essential before we escalate sanctions further”.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot informed the National Assembly on Tuesday that Paris would “evaluate any US material with our own services before acting”.

The issue has split EU capitals. Baltic states support immediate additional restrictions while Hungary and Slovakia argue existing measures already hurt European economies, diplomats said.

EU sanctions on Iran already restrict oil sales, banking links and access to European technology.

The bloc imposed its 12th package on Moscow in December targeting diamond sales and LNG vessels.

Additional measures would require unanimous approval from all 27 member states.

European Commission data shows EU trade with Iran fell to 4.2 billion euros in 2023 from 5.3 billion in 2022 after previous sanctions tightened.

Trade with Russia dropped 68 percent to 125 billion euros over the same period.

Iranian military analysts say Tehran wants Russian radars to complete its Bavar-373 air defense system, unveiled in 2019 as a domestic alternative to Russia’s S-300.

The system remains incomplete without modern targeting components, former Iranian defense official Hossein Dalirian told the semi-official Tasnim news agency on March 30.

US officials fear completed Bavar batteries could protect Iranian nuclear sites from potential Israeli or American airstrikes.

Tehran continues enriching uranium to 60 percent purity, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed in February.

Western intelligence services estimate Iran needs 90 percent for weapons-grade material.

Israel has twice bombed nuclear facilities in the region, destroying Iraq’s Osirak reactor in 1981 and Syria’s Al-Kibar site in 2007.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on April 2 that “all options remain on the table” regarding Iran’s program.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told lawmakers in Strasbourg last week that “preventing nuclear proliferation is a core European interest”.

Any Russian military assistance to Iran beyond the alleged shipments would violate UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal, legal experts said.

The resolution maintains an arms embargo on Iran until October 2025 unless the IAEA certifies Tehran’s program remains peaceful.

Russia voted for the resolution but later blocked IAEA censures of Iran at the board level.

Background

Russia and Iran deepened military cooperation after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Tehran supplying loitering munitions that killed Ukrainian civilians.

Western intelligence agencies documented at least 400 Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 drones delivered between September 2022 and May 2023, according to public UK dossiers.

Iran also provided artillery shells and millions of rounds of small-arms ammunition, Ukrainian prosecutors said in war-crimes filings.

In return, Moscow supplied Tehran with captured Western weapons including British NLAW anti-tank missiles and US Javelins, Britain’s Defense Intelligence reported in January.

The exchanges alarmed Israel, which previously tolerated Russian military presence in Syria because Moscow allowed Israeli jets to strike Iranian targets there.

Israeli Air Force officials told parliament in February that Russia now shares Syrian air-defense data with Iran, complicating Israeli operations.

The shift contributed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceling a planned Moscow visit in March, officials close to the leader said.

What’s Next

Rubio will brief EU foreign ministers behind closed doors Thursday morning before a scheduled NATO-Ukraine council meeting, according to the State Department agenda.

European diplomats expect a classified intelligence packet to be shared individually with interested capitals rather than the full EU bloc, one official said.

The ministers aim to reach consensus on any joint EU position before a potential UN Security Council session on Iranian sanctions next month.