EU Expands Sanctions Against Iran's Missile Program

The European Union (EU) has expanded its sanctions against Iran's missile capabilities, following a series of recent escalations. This move comes one month after Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Israel in retaliation for an airstrike on the Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the European Council announced that the sanctions are aimed at curbing Iran's drone production capabilities and hampering its missile program. The Council justified the sanctions by citing Iran's support for Russia in the Ukraine conflict and its supply of missiles and drones to non-state actors in the West Asian region.

The European Council emphasized that the sanctions also respond to Iran's recent missile and drone strikes against Israel. These actions have further strained Iran-EU relations, already tense due to ongoing geopolitical conflicts.

Iran has consistently denied allegations of supplying weapons to Russia for use in the Ukraine war. Tehran has also rejected claims of providing arms to anti-Israel and anti-American groups in the region. In response to the EU's decision, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian criticized the sanctions. "It is unfortunate that the EU plans to impose sanctions on Iran merely because we exercised our legitimate right to defend ourselves against blatant Israeli aggression," Amir-Abdollahian stated last month.