Decision to make Iran 'regret' attacking Israel

European Union (EU) foreign ministers have decided to expand the existing sanctions imposed on Iran regarding the transfer of unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia, to also include missiles and their transfer to the Middle East and the Red Sea.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell announced the new sanctions decision against Iran following its attack on Israel, in a statement made after the meeting of member states' foreign and defense ministers in Luxembourg.

Borrell stated, "We have reached a political agreement to expand our existing drone sanctions regime against Iran to also cover missiles and their transfer to Russia. We have also decided to expand the geographical scope of this framework to apply not only to the transfer of drones and missiles to Russia but also to the entire Middle East and Red Sea region."

The EU already has sanctions programs against Iran due to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, human rights violations, and the supply of unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Israel had carried out an airstrike on Iran's consulate building in Damascus on April 1. A total of 7 people, including 2 generals from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, were killed in the attack.

Iran had announced that Israel's consulate attack meant an attack on its own territory and that they would retaliate.

Israel had also announced that it would respond to Iran's attacks.

On April 13, Iran launched an attack on Israel with hundreds of kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicles, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles.

Iran announced that some targets were hit, while Israel stated that most of the attacks were intercepted by air defense systems, but that a missile had struck a military base in the south.