The European Union is planning new sanctions against Iran following Tehran’s recent missile and drone attacks on Israel, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in Brussels on Tuesday.
“The region is on the brink of an abyss,” Borrell warned, describing the tense situation in the Middle East. “We have to get rid of it,” he added.
EU foreign ministers discussed the Iranian attack in a video call specially convened after Iran attacked Israel directly on Saturday for the first time in the Islamic Republic’s history.
Iran said it was in retaliation for the killing of senior Iranian officers in Syria early this month.
New punitive measures could be imposed through a sanctions regime imposed after Iran began supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine by supplying Moscow with drones, Borrell said.
The measures banned the export of components used for the construction and production of unmanned aerial vehicles to Iran. The bloc’s top diplomat said these sanctions could be expanded to make it harder for Iran to produce missiles.
Borrell said there are also plans to target the supply of drones and missiles to Iranian allies in the Middle East. Borrell said he has instructed EU officials to begin the “necessary work.”
Some EU member states have called for sanctions against the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), but Borrell said the elite unit of Iran’s armed forces should first be prosecuted by a national authority for terrorist activities under EU law. However, this has not yet been the case.
The video conference also discussed how the EU can contribute to de-escalation in the region. EU foreign ministers called on “all actors” to show restraint in the region, Borrell said.
Borrell condemned the Iranian attack and said EU foreign ministers emphasized “the European Union’s commitment to Israel’s security.”
EU foreign ministers also underlined their previous calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Borrell said, calling for the release of all hostages taken by Hamas after the October 7 attacks and for unhindered humanitarian access to the civilian population.
While fighting in Gaza continues “there will be no regional stability,” Borrell said, stressing that the conflict must be taken into consideration in efforts to keep peace in the Middle East.
