Key Takeaways
- The U.S. is imposing new sanctions on Iran, targeting its missile and drone program, as well as entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- The sanctions are in response to Iran’s attack against Israel, which killed seven Iranians, including two veteran commanders.
- The U.S. government is relying on diplomatic and economic tools to respond to Iran’s attack, rather than using force.
Washington: The White House on Tuesday announced the decision to impose new sanctions on Iran with measures including punishing the Islamic Republic’s missile and drone program.
“In the coming days, the United States will impose new sanctions targeting Iran, including its missile and drone program as well as new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Defense Ministry,” U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement.
The announcement came after Iran carried out a massive military operation against Israel on Saturday, in which hundreds of missiles and drones were launched. Tehran said the attack was a response to the Israeli strike on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital city of Damascus on April 1, which killed seven Iranians, including two veteran commanders.
Sullivan’s announcement followed a similar one made earlier in the day by U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, who didn’t elaborate much on the detail at a press conference ahead of the unveiling of this year’s Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
The U.S. government has condemned Iran’s attack against Israel, but instead of using force, it is relying on diplomatic and economic tools to respond. This decision is driven by a fear of escalating the conflict in the Middle East.
