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It is hardly a secret that without the Iranian regime’s financial, military, and operational backing, its affiliated terror groups — such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis as well as its own militias, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — would not have been able to launch the kind of large-scale attacks against Israel that have upended the broader region. Iran’s support not only provides these groups with financial resources but also with crucial intelligence and military training. Without this support, the military capacity of these groups would be significantly diminished, and the extent of the chaos in the region far less severe.

Iran’s reach extends, of course, far beyond its proxies and militias. Some national governments, notably Russia, have relied on Iran’s support to sustain their military campaigns. Iran’s backing of Russia’s war against Ukraine, for example, only prolonged and intensified it.

At the outset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, endorsed Moscow’s aggression. After Iran announced its support, the EU did absolutely nothing. The Iranian regime, seeing no consequences in taking sides against Ukraine, immediately became more involved in the conflict.

Iran’s role in the Ukraine war quickly moved from verbal support to direct military involvement. Iran began supplying Russia with kamikaze drones, which Russia has been used to strike civilian targets as well as to destroy important infrastructure in Ukraine. The Iranian drones, modified with advanced explosives, have reportedly caused massive devastation, and only underscores Iran’s expanding military influence in the war.

Despite the EU itself acknowledging that Iran was indeed “provid[ing] military support for Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine,” no country took any action of any kind. The ruling mullahs responded to Europe’s inaction by deepening their role. Iran sent troops to Crimea to assist Russia in its attacks on Ukraine and its civilian population, as well to see how best to increase the effectiveness of the suicide drones.

On September 10, the US Department of Defense announced that Iran had also supplied Russia with missiles. “The United States has confirmed reports that Iran has transferred shipments of Fath 360 close-range ballistic missiles to Russia, which we assess could employ them within weeks against Ukraine, leading to the deaths of even more Ukrainian civilians,” said Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder in a briefing. He explained that this would give Russia the opportunity to leverage the missiles’ lethal ability while safeguarding its own long-range assets for prolonged use in combat. Iran’s missiles would bolster Russia’s stockpile and further enable strikes on various targets, including civilian ones.

To stanch this, the EU urgently needs to stop its economic dealings with Iran. Continuing trade only empowers Tehran financially, giving it the resources needed to support Russia’s military operations and its terror proxies. In addition, maintaining these economic ties grants legitimacy to the regime, signaling that the European Union is willing to overlook Iran’s role in supporting aggression against Ukraine — and what is ultimately likely to be aggression against itself.

Along with cutting economic ties, the EU would also do well to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization and close all Iranian embassies in Europe. The IRGC is the primary force behind Iran’s military support for Russia. Isolating it would be a crucial step in weakening Tehran’s capacity to destabilize the entire Middle East.

Finally, the EU needs to make it clear that all military options are on the table. While diplomatic and economic measures are important, they may not be enough to deter Iran. By openly discussing potential military strikes against IRGC assets, the EU would send a strong message to Tehran, showing that its continued support for Russian aggression could have severe consequences.

The EU really needs to confront the Iranian regime now, the sooner the better. It really has become a principal enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The longer the EU allows the Islamist regime of Iran to operate with no repercussions, the more it strengthens both Iran’s and Russia’s war machines. For the wellbeing of the EU, the Middle East and the Free World, the EU severing its ties with Iran cannot take place soon enough.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu