The EU has is sanctioning Iranian producers of drones and missiles after Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel.
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, and already has multiple sanctions in place against Iran, including for selling drones to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.
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, involving more than 300 missiles and drones fired from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen which were mostly downed by Israel and its allies, says the BBC.
„For us, 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”, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after Wednesday’s meeting.
Israel has called on its allies to sanction Tehran’s missile programme and for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – a major military and political force in Iran – to be designated a terrorist organisation, something the US has done but the EU and UK have not. But US has hinted it will impose its own new penalties in the coming days.
Speaking about the possibility of further sanctions on Tuesday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that „all options to disrupt terrorist financing of Iran continue to be on the table”.
She also signalled that Iran’s oil exports could be „a possible area” Washington targets.
The pot is being stirred as regards Iranian oil, as the US will vote on China’s oil imports from Iran – something that has been in a sanction process since 2019.
