Ricketts, Risch Push Europe to Hold Iran Accountable for Aggression

September 18, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe, and Jim Risch (R-ID), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged European leaders to increase their efforts against Iran and align their sanctions with those that the U.S. has imposed to date. The letter comes after Iran transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in their war against Ukraine.

“Specifically, we call on the EU to mirror efforts recently announced by the E3 to impose restrictions on Iranian airlines and other entities that have facilitated these ballistic missile and other weapons transfers to Russia,” the senators wrote. “However, these actions should represent the floor, and not the ceiling, of any European response. Additionally, we strongly advocate for the EU and UK to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. Finally, the E3, with EU support, should initiate the snapback of sanctions on Iran under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which would restore the global UN arms embargo and other restrictions on Iran’s missile program.”

“Today, Iran poses the greatest direct threat to European and global security that it ever has,” the senators closed. “This threat will only grow unless it faces real consequences for its aggression. Collective U.S.-European pressure should reflect this grim reality. We hope you will take this perspective into consideration as you weigh further action on Iran in the near future.”

Full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear High Representative Borrell, Secretary Lammy, Minister Baerbock, and Minister Séjourné,

With the recent confirmation that Iran has transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, we write to implore the United Kingdom (UK), France, and Germany (E3), and the European Union (EU) to take bold action to hold Iran accountable for this escalation. We believe the EU’s Iran policies are undercutting our mutual aims in Ukraine. The United States and our allies must come together to more effectively isolate Russia and nations that materially support Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Specifically, we call on the EU to mirror efforts recently announced by the E3 to impose restrictions on Iranian airlines and other entities that have facilitated these ballistic missile and other weapons transfers to Russia. However, these actions should represent the floor, and not the ceiling, of any European response. Additionally, we strongly advocate for the EU and UK to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. Finally, the E3, with EU support, should initiate the snapback of sanctions on Iran under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which would restore the global UN arms embargo and other restrictions on Iran’s missile program.

Iran is inextricably linked to Vladmir Putin’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Since February 2022, Iran has supplied Russia with thousands of weaponized drones that have been used to attack Ukrainian cities, exhaust Ukrainian air defenses, and kill Ukrainian civilians. It has also supplied Russian forces with hundreds of thousands of artillery shells, along with over a million rounds of other types of ammunition. In return, Russia has launched multiple Iranian satellites into space, sent Tehran captured Western weapons for Iranian specialists to reverse engineer, and has reportedly finalized a deal to sell Iran advanced military equipment, including Su-35 fighter jets. Iran continues to use revenues from its military relationship with Russia to dramatically increase support for its terror proxies in the Middle East.

Concerningly, this partnership has now expanded further. For a year now, there have been clear indications that Russia intended to purchase short-range ballistic missiles from Iran. In response, on March 15, 2024, the Group of Seven (G7) threatened “were Iran to proceed with providing ballistic missiles or related technology to Russia, we are prepared to respond swiftly and in a coordinated manner including with new and significant measures against Iran.” However, despite the G7’s red line, Iran remained undeterred. On September 6, the Wall Street Journal revealed that Iran had proceeded with the missile transfer, which was later confirmed by Secretary of State Blinken.

Today, Iran poses the greatest direct threat to European and global security that it ever has. This threat will only grow unless it faces real consequences for its aggression. Collective U.S.-European pressure should reflect this grim reality. We hope you will take this perspective into consideration as you weigh further action on Iran in the near future.

Sincerely,

Pete Ricketts

James E. Risch