EU leaders agree to sanction Iran's missiles, drone manufacturers over attack on Israel

European Union leaders have reached a consensus to impose fresh sanctions on Iran’s drone and missile manufacturers in response to Tehran’s recent attack on Israel, announced EU chief Charles Michel on Wednesday.

Speaking at an EU summit in Brussels, Michel stated, “We have decided to put in place sanctions against Iran, it is a clear signal that we wanted to send.” He highlighted that the sanctions aim to target companies involved in the production of drones and missiles.

Over the weekend, Iran launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel, resulting in minimal damage as most of the projectiles were intercepted. This marked Tehran’s first direct attack on Israeli territory, purportedly in retaliation for a deadly strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which was widely attributed to Israel.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country will decide how to respond to Iran’s attack as global powers called for restraint to avoid escalation.

The EU leaders in their statement from the summit urged “all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and to refrain from any action that may increase tensions in the region.”

The EU has already imposed sanctions on Iran over its supply of drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine, but they have had little effect on cutting the ties between Tehran and Moscow.

With inputs from AFP