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FM urges removal of EU bans on Iranian airlines after Zelensky’s assertion
Araghchi said the flight ban only affects ordinary Iranians and other travelers, Press TV reported.
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.
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.