Iran urges EU to end targeting ordinary Iranians after missile transfer claims refuted by Ukraine

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called on the European Union to immediately end its flight ban on the country's airlines, stressing that even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied the European bloc’s claims about Iran supplying missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine.

Araghchi said the flight ban only affects ordinary Iranians and other travelers.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Araghchi condemned the EU’s ban as being based on a “false and unfounded claim,” just a day after the Ukrainian president confirmed that there is no evidence yet that Russia has used Iranian ballistic missiles against his country.

“The EU recently targeted ordinary Iranians and other travelers by banning our airlines from Europe. It did so, on the basis of the false and unfounded claim that Iran has delivered ballistic missiles to Russia for use in #Ukraine,” Araghchi said.

“Now, even President Zelensky himself has explicitly stated that no Iranian missiles have been delivered to Russia. High time for the EU to end this farce. The targeting of ordinary Iranians based on thin air is immoral and plain wrong. It must be immediately reversed,” he stressed.

Back in mid-October, the EU imposed sanctions against flagship carrier Iran Air, Saha Airlines and Mahan Air over the alleged transfer of ballistic missiles and drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war. 

The ban caused major hardship to passengers, particularly the elderly and those with disabilities, as they now have to use connection flights rather than direct flights.

This is while Iran has vehemently dismissed the arms transfer claim, reiterating on numerous occasions that drones supplied to Russia were delivered to Moscow long before the Ukraine war started in February 2022.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that American officials had told their European counterparts that Tehran supplied short-range ballistic missiles to Moscow. Reuters also made a similar claim. Both provided no evidence for their claims.

However, the White House, Kiev’s close military ally, cited The Wall Street Journal in claiming that the transfer of missiles from Iran to Russia would represent a "dramatic escalation" in Tehran’s support for Moscow.

Zelensky on Monday stressed that “based on our information, they [Iran] have not delivered these missiles yet,” refuting months-old allegations propagated by Western media and officials.

Iranian diaspora in EU, UK deplore ban on national airline

Iranian diaspora living in the EU says the recent ban on Iran Air has affected over a million passengers.

The EU sanctions further included Iran’s Deputy Defense Minister Seyyed Hamzeh Ghalandari, prominent officials of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, and the IRGC Aerospace Force.

The United Kingdom also announced sanctions targeting senior figures in the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, Iran’s Air Force and organizations linked to Iran’s ballistic and cruise missile development, claiming that the sanctions came after what it alleged to be Iran’s dangerous and destabilizing activity across West Asia.

Iran’s UN mission rejects Western allegations of supplying ballistic missiles to Russia

Tehran says allegations by the US and its allies that Iran provides Russia with ballistic missiles are baseless and misleading.

Iran Air - Iran’s national airline - used to fly to seven destinations in EU countries, namely Rome, Milan, Vienna, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt and Paris as well as to the British capital of London before the EU announced its flight sanctions.

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