Germany, France and Britain on Tuesday, September 10, condemned what they said was Iran's export of ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the Ukraine war and declared new sanctions targeting air transport.

"We will be taking immediate steps to cancel bilateral air services agreements with Iran," they said in a statement, adding that they would also "work towards imposing sanctions on Iran Air."

Russia and Iran are both already under international sanctions that restrict trade, but they have forged strong ties in various sectors, including military cooperation. The West has been warning Tehran against sending Russia missiles for months, and the EU has already repeatedly hit Iran with sanctions for supplying drones to Moscow for the war in Ukraine.

In August, Russian National Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu headed a delegation to Tehran for meetings with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The visit had the aim of "strengthening interactions, the examination of regional and international issues, and bilateral political security relations," according to Iran's Tasnim news agency.