The United States announced Tuesday that it was preparing new sanctions on Iran’s missile and drone program after last weekend’s attack on Israel, and the EU’s foreign policy chief signaled the bloc would levy new punitive measures as well.
Iran has characterized its attack on Israel as an act of self-defense following a deadly air strike on its consulate in Syria, saying that it would consider the matter “concluded” unless Israel retaliated.
US President Joe Biden has stressed that “the United States is committed to Israel’s security” but wants to prevent the conflict from spreading.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that Washington would “impose new sanctions targeting Iran, including its missile and drone program”, as well as the Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian defense ministry. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also said she expected to take action “in the coming days”.
She said Iran’s oil exports were “a possible area we could address”, adding: “Clearly, Iran is continuing to export some oil. There may be more that we could do.”
Yellen said the US was already using financial sanctions to isolate Iran, degrade its military capacity, and disrupt its ability to fund proxy groups and support Russia’s war in Ukraine – including by targeting more than 500 individuals and entities, the BBC reported.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Brussels was also working on expanding sanctions against Iran, particularly against its supplies of weaponry — including drones — to Russia and proxy groups around the Middle East.
World leaders have urged restraint and de-escalation in the aftermath of the weekend’s attack.
According to the BBC, Israel has urged its allies to sanction Tehran’s missile program. United Nations sanctions over the missile program expired last October.
Those sanctions had been linked to a wider deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program.
The United States has imposed an arms ban and an almost total economic embargo on Iran, which includes sanctions on companies doing business with Iran, a ban on all Iranian-origin imports, sanctions on Iranian financial institutions, and an almost total ban on selling aircraft or repair parts to Iranian aviation industries.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz welcomed the “positive trend towards the adoption of sanctions” in a post on X.