[Source: Reuters]

The transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia represents a further military escalation and will be met with a “strong response” from the European Union, EU foreign affairs spokesperson Peter Stano said on Tuesday.

Stano said the EU’s diplomatic service, at the request of foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, had already presented EU members with “a substantial set of decisive and targeted measures” against Iran in response to the transfer.

Any such measures would have to be agreed by all of the EU’s 27 members to take effect, Stano added.

He said the transfer contravened the U.N. Charter, international law and international humanitarian law.