BERLIN: Germany’s foreign minister called Tuesday for the European Union to impose fresh sanctions on Iranian drone technology after Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel.
The 27-nation bloc has hit Iran with a barrage of sanctions in recent years, including over its drone supplies to Russia, which has frequently used the Iranian-made weapons in its war against Ukraine.
Late Saturday, Iran used more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles in its unprecedented attack on Israel.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the EU had agreed on a “drone sanctions regime” last year.
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“I campaigned in late autumn together with France and other partners within the European Union for this drone sanctions regime to be extended further,” she said, adding she also wanted it to cover “other missile technologies in Iran’s arsenal”.
“I hope that we can now finally take this step together.”
Baerbock will also head to Israel later Tuesday – making her the first prominent minister to visit since Iran’s attack – to “assure our Israeli partners of Germany’s full solidarity.
“We will talk about how a further escalation with more violence can be prevented.”
Earlier Tuesday, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on 32 countries to impose sanctions against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and their missile programme.
He called for sanctions against “the Iranian missile project” and that the Revolutionary Guards be declared a terrorist organisation.
Some EU capitals have previously pushed to list the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group.
But European officials say it is proving complicated to demonstrate the legal basis for such a blanket designation.
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