After Washington, it is Brussels’ turn to raise its tone vis-à-vis Tehran. The European Union decided on Wednesday to impose new sanctions against Iran targeting drone and missile producers, said European Council President Charles Michel.
“We decided to impose sanctions against Iran, we wanted to send a clear message” after the attack on Israel, he declared after a summit in Brussels bringing together the leaders of the 27 countries members. “The idea is to target companies that have a role in manufacturing drones and missiles,” he added.
Iran’s first direct attack on Israel
Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israeli territory overnight from Saturday to Sunday, in response to an April 1 strike on the consular annex of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, attributed to Israel.
Almost all of the missiles and drones were destroyed before hitting Israeli territory. This was Iran’s first direct attack on Israel.
In their communiqué adopted at the end of the summit, EU leaders call on “all parties to exercise the greatest restraint and to stay away from any action which could increase tensions in the region” .