U.S. to hit Iran with fresh sanctions after Israel attack
- In Reports
- 12:51 PM, Apr 17, 2024
- Myind Staff
On Tuesday, the United States said it is planning to impose fresh sanctions on Iran's missile and drone initiatives in response to its recent assault on Israel. It also expressed anticipation that its allies and partners would implement similar measures in tandem.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's announcement came after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen indicated punitive measures were in the works, and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said his office was working on it.
Over the weekend, Iran launched over 300 missiles, drones, and rockets towards Israel, citing retaliation for a fatal strike on Tehran's consulate in Damascus. The vast majority of these projectiles were successfully intercepted, resulting in minimal damage.
"In the coming days, the United States will impose new sanctions targeting Iran, including its missile and drone program" as well as the Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian Defense Ministry, Sullivan said in a statement.
"We anticipate that our allies and partners will soon be following with their own sanctions," he added.
"These new sanctions and other measures will continue a steady drumbeat of pressure to contain and degrade Iran's military capacity and effectiveness and confront the full range of its problematic behaviours."
In an effort to dissuade Israel from engaging in significant retaliation, the United States and Europe signalled their intent to bolster economic and political sanctions against Iran.
US authorities have been employing economic measures to counter Iran's actions, targeting its drone and missile programs, as well as its support for groups like Hamas.
Earlier, Yellen previewed the sanctions, telling reporters, "Iran's actions threaten the region's stability and could cause economic spillovers."
The Treasury will not hesitate to work with US allies to "use our sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime's malign and destabilizing activity," she said.
She added that "all options to disrupt terrorist financing" will be on the table.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, addressing reporters in Brussels following an urgent video conference of EU foreign ministers, noted that certain member states had called for an extension of sanctions against Iran. He stated that the bloc's diplomatic service would initiate work on this proposal.
Borrell said the proposal would expand a sanctions regime that seeks to curb the supply of Iranian drones to Russia so that it would also include the provision of missiles and could also cover deliveries to Iranian proxies in the Middle East.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared that he was "leading a diplomatic attack", by reaching out to 32 countries, urging them to impose sanctions on Iran's missile programme. He also called for these nations to align with Washington's decision to designate the Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's primary military force, as a terrorist group.
Image source: Reuters
Comments