Iran calls EU sanctions 'regrettable'

Iran’s calls EU sanctions ‘regrettable’

European Union sanctions announced following Iran’s attack against Israel are “regrettable” because the country was acting in self-defence, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian posted on X on Tuesday.

Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles on Israel in what it said was retaliation against a suspected Israeli bombing of its embassy compound in Damascus.

On Monday, EU foreign ministers agreed in principle to expand sanctions on Iran by agreeing to extend restrictive measures on Tehran’s weapons exports of any drone or missile to Iranian proxies and Russia.

“It is regrettable to see the EU deciding quickly to apply more unlawful restrictions against Iran just because Iran exercised its right to self-defence in the face of Israel’s reckless aggression,” Amirabdollahian said on X, before calling on the EU to apply sanctions on Israel instead.

More work will need to follow in Brussels to approve a legal framework before the expansion of the sanctions can take effect.

The sanction

The European Union reached a political agreement to tighten sanctions on Iran in retaliation for the recent barrage launched against Israel.

The sanctions are designed to curtail the exports of EU-made components used in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, and ballistic missiles. The bloc had previously set up a dedicated regime to target Iranian-made drones, which the country has used to prop up Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The so-called “kamikaze” Shahed drones have been launched against critical infrastructure and residential buildings, killing dozens, and possibly hundreds, of Ukrainians.

The scheme has also blacklisted people and entities involved in Iran’s UAV programme through travel bans and asset-freezing measures. But after Tehran’s attack on 13 April against Israel, which saw over 300 projectiles headed from different fronts towards the Jewish nation, the EU began working on an expanded raft of sanctions to cover the production of missiles and enlarge the catalogue of prohibited drone-related components.

This expansion was endorsed on Monday by foreign affairs ministers meeting in Luxembourg and will enter into force in the coming days, once the political consensus is translated into legal acts and formally approved. “We have reached a political agreement,” High Representative Josep Borrell announced at the end of the meeting, noting that the “potential transfer” of missile technology to Russia has not yet happened.

Iran and its proxies

Iran is estimated to own the largest and most diverse missile arsenal in the Middle East, with more than 3,000 rockets in its stockpile and a reach of up to 2,000 kilometers. Last week, Israel reportedly carried out a strike near the city of Isfahan, home to the production, research and development of missiles. Although manufacturing is mostly domestic, Iran still relies on foreign-made technological components that can be disassembled and redeployed into its missile program.

The country has over the years developed an intricate network of operators to obtain sensitive dual-use items that can be used for both military and civilian purposes while evading long-standing international sanctions. Additionally, Iran has supplied lethal equipment to its proxies in the region, including groups like the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip – all sworn enemies of Israel.

The barrage on 13 April saw weapons launched from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen, putting Western nations on high alert for a wider spillover. The EU sanctions agreed upon address this phenomenon by expanding restrictions to cover activities across “the whole region of the Middle East and Red Sea.”

Ministers did not make any moves towards listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization during this meeting. Such a designation requires a judicial decision by a competent authority within any EU member state before it can become an EU-wide decision.