The Biden administration is reportedly preparing to announce new sanctions on Iran in retaliation for its arms sales that have fortified Russia's defenses amid war with Ukraine.
Biden Administration Set to Impose New Sanctions on Iran for Supporting Russia's War in Ukraine
According to the Associated Press, the Biden administration threatened a "swift" and "severe" response if Iran continues to sell ballistic missiles to Russia.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the US government will impose additional sanctions on Iran in the coming days for supplying Russia with drones and other military tech used in its war with Ukraine.
Kirby also warned Iran that providing Russia with ballistic missiles would be met with more sanctions and actions at the United Nations. For months, the Biden administration has been expressing concerns about Russia's efforts to get ballistic missiles from Iran in exchange for enhanced military assistance.
According to Kirby, they have yet to see any confirmation that missiles have actually moved from Iran to Russia but still said that they "have no reason to believe that they will not follow through."
"I can assure you that the response from the international community will be swift and it will be severe," Kirby noted, adding that the US would bring the matter to the UN Security Council, where Moscow has a veto.
"We will implement additional sanctions against Iran and we will coordinate further response options with our allies and partners in Europe and elsewhere... We have demonstrated our ability to take action in response to the military partnership between Russia and Iran in the past. We will do so in the future," Kirby said, as AP reported.
"In response to Iran's ongoing support for Russia's brutal war, we will be imposing additional sanctions on Iran in the coming days. And we are prepared to go further if Iran sells ballistic missiles to Russia," he added.
Kirby's remarks came following a Reuters report saying that Iran has already sent over about 400 surface-to-surface ballistic missiles to Russia.
Biden Administration to Impose Over 500 New Sanctions Against Russia
The Biden administration is also set to unveil a new set of sanctions against Russia on Friday over the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine.
To keep up its financial pressure on Russia, the AP reported that the US Treasury Department plans to impose more than 500 new sanctions on Russia and its war machine, the largest single tranche of penalties since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
It comes after the US Justice Department issued a new series of indictments and arrests on Thursday targeting top Russian businessmen, including Russia's second-largest bank's head.
The Biden administration seems to be trying to reassure Ukraine of the unwavering support from the US after the country's political tensions have delayed the delivery of a $60 billion military aid package to Kyiv, which is still waiting for a final congressional vote to be approved.
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