EU to Tighten Iran Sanctions After Israel Attack
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Editor
- . April 18, 2024
- . Update: April 18, 2024 6:02 pm
EU to Tighten Iran Sanctions on Iranian producers of drones and missiles following Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel. European Council President Charles Michel emphasized the importance of “doing everything to isolate Iran” in response to the attack.
The EU already has multiple sanctions in place against Iran, including for selling drones to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine. The US has hinted it will impose its new penalties in the coming days.
EU to Tighten Iran Sanctions
The EU’s new sanctions were agreed during a summit in Brussels, which marked the first meeting between the bloc’s 27 leaders since Iran’s direct assault on Israel on Saturday. The attack involved more than 300 missiles and drones fired from Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, most of which were downed by Israel and its allies.
Tehran has maintained that the attack was retaliation for a presumed Israeli air strike on its consulate in Syria on April 1, in which 13 people were killed. Israel, which appears to have only countered with a diplomatic offensive so far, has not ruled out a response.
Calls for Restraint and Further De-escalation
World leaders have continued to urge restraint, in a bid to prevent a wider conflict in the Middle East. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that “it is important that this moment is now also used for further de-escalation and that Israel also uses this success to strengthen its position in the whole region and not respond with a massive attack of its own.”
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Calls for Designating IRGC as a Terrorist Organization
Israel has called on its allies to sanction Tehran’s missile program and for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – a major military and political force in Iran – to be designated a terrorist organization, something the US has done but the EU and UK have not.
The EU already has a wide range of measures in place which target Iran over its human rights abuses, nuclear proliferation activities, and military support for Russia. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen indicated that “all options to disrupt terrorist financing of Iran continue to be on the table” when asked about the possibility of further sanctions.
