Israel Calls for Sanctions on Iran After Drone and Missile Attack
Israel has called on 32 countries to impose sanctions against Iran, a move taken as Tel Aviv weighs its options in responding to the Islamic Republic’s drone attack over the weekend.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said today that he has sent letters to 32 countries calling on them to enact sanctions against Tehran, in a “diplomatic offensive”.
Alongside the military response to the firing of the missiles and the UAVs, I am leading a diplomatic offensive against Iran.
This morning I sent letters to 32
countries and spoke with dozens of foreign ministers and leading figures around the world calling for sanctions to be…— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) April 16, 2024
Iran said its offensive on Saturday, which employed more than 300 drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, was in retaliation for Israel’s strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria, which killed 13 people, including two commanders of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Israel’s military reported that 99 percent of the aerial bombardment was intercepted by itself and allies, such as the United States and United Kingdom, and that the attack caused only minor damage, including to a military base in the country’s south.
“Alongside the military response to the firing of the missiles and the UAVs, I am leading a diplomatic offensive against Iran,” Katz said on X.
“This morning, I sent letters to 32 countries and spoke with dozens of foreign ministers and leading figures around the world, calling for sanctions to be imposed on the Iranian missile project and that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps be declared a terrorist organization”.
Katz did not specify which governments he had reached out to with regard to imposing sanctions. The IRGC is already blacklisted as a terrorist organization by the United States and is subject to EU sanctions. “Iran must be stopped now – before it is too late,” Katz urged.
Tensions are high as Israel weighs up its options after Saturday’s attack, with international partners of Tel Aviv urging restraint amid concerns the war in Gaza threatens further escalation of conflict in the Middle East – particularly with Iran.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military commanders have pledged to retaliate, albeit with no specificity on the form as of yet. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Monday that “this launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, and drones into Israeli territory will be met with a response,” adding no further details.
Iran’s Warning to Israel
Against this backdrop, Iran warned on Tuesday that it will respond swiftly to any action against its interests.
“We categorically declare that the smallest action against Iranian interests will certainly be met with a severe, widespread, and painful response against any perpetrator,” President Ebrahim Raisi told Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency.
Qatar has positioned itself as a mediator amid the Israel-Hamas war over the past six months.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani told state TV on Monday night that Tehran’s response to any Israeli retaliation would be “a matter of seconds”.
