EU foreign policy chief warns ‘we are on the edge’ of ‘a regional war in the Middle East’
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According to a report by the Associated Press (AP), the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said the existing EU sanctions regime on Iran would be strengthened and expanded to punish Tehran for its attack and help prevent future ones on Israel. At the same time, he said, Israel needed to exercise restraint.
“I don’t want to exaggerate but we are on the edge of a war, a regional war in the Middle East, which will be sending shock waves to the rest of the world, and in particular to Europe,” he warned. “So stop it.”
On Wednesday, EU leaders meeting in Brussels vowed to ramp up sanctions on Iran to target its drone and missile deliveries to proxies in Gaza, Yemen and Lebanon.
European Union increases sanctions against Iran
European Union leaders have agreed to increase sanctions against Iran as concern grows that Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle East and concern that Iran is supplying weapons to Russia in the war against Ukraine.
In an official communique, the EU announced “will take further restrictive measures against Iran, notably in relation to unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles.”
French president Emmanuel Macron said new measures should target “those who are helping to produce the missiles and drones that were used” in the weekend attack.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has tasked his staff with drawing up new measures but expanding sanctions, however, is not a simple step – the EU has already targeted those responsible for making drones that Iran has sold to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.
The idea is to expand that list to include missiles, although there is no evidence that Iran has sold missiles to Russia. Borrell said that proxy forces backed by Iran in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria could also be targeted with sanctions.
Latvia’s prime minister Evika Silina said more work would be done to restrict the “military brains” behind the “technology which Iran can use not just against Israel but against Europe so we have to strengthen those sanctions.”’
Lithuanian prime minister Gitanis Nasuèda said on Thursday that leaders discussed the concerns about Iran also feeding Russia’s war machine in Ukraine.
“We had the opportunity to talk about Iran engagement in the war with Ukraine and I think it should be one of the reasons why we have to introduce and expand the sanctions to Iran. Not only because of Iran’s role in the conflict in the Middle East but also because of Iran’s role in the war in Ukraine. I think Iran is responsible.”
“On the one hand we are supporting Ukraine and on the other Iran is standing on the other side of the conflict and this is not acceptable for the European Union as a whole,” he said.
