The EU plans to adopt sanctions against Iranian missiles and drones
The foreign and defense ministers of the European Union (EU) plan to reach an agreement this Monday to sanction Iran for the production and delivery of missiles and drones to Russia and the groups it supports in the Middle East. following the increase in tension in the region with mutual attacks between Tehran and Israel.
They will also discuss the possibility of giving Ukraine the anti-aircraft defenses that it is insistently asking for in the face of increased Russian bombing. A request that this week received a boost from NATO, since its Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, has suggested to the allies that they deliver Patriot systems to kyiv, even if it is at the cost of failing to meet the Alliance’s capabilities objectives.
middle East
The meeting they will hold in Luxembourg will follow a marathon of meetings that have taken place in recent days at an international level between the leaders and ministers of the G7 (group of the richest countries in the world) and the heads of State and Government of the EU, in which a call for calm in the Middle East has been made.
And in this context, the EU ministers will finalize their agreement for the adoption of new sanctions against the production and delivery of Iranian drones to its allies, as reported by the head of European diplomacy, Joseph Borrell, Last Tuesday. A European source also confirmed that the sanctions will also be applied against people and companies in Iran that produce missiles that Tehran delivers both to Russia, to help it in its war against Ukraine, and to the groups and organizations in which the Ayatollah regime relies. supports in the Middle East.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs has also insisted on “do not forget” the war in Gaza, when Israel continues to threaten to invade the city of Rafah and after the offensive in the Strip has exceeded 34,000 deaths, according to the Gazan Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas, and where a million people are on the brink of famine, according to several humanitarian organizations. “The fundamental thing is to stop the war in Gaza, not extend it to other countries,” Borrell said last Friday.
Ukraine
“On numerous occasions, we have reiterated the political will to support Ukraine for as long as necessary and with whatever is necessary. Now we need to act quickly and make crucial military support available to Ukraine,” Borrell asked the ministers. in a letter to which EFE has had access. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has said that your country needs seven Patriot systems to be able to counter the bombings that Russia is launching against Ukrainian energy infrastructure, of which Germany has agreed to deliver one.
Furthermore, Stoltenberg stated on Friday that NATO countries, among which there are twenty-three that are also EU countries, will announce new deliveries of air defense to Ukraine. A European source noted, however, how difficult it is to make the decision to deliver Patriot systems that may be needed for self-defense. “Countries are very aware of the need to defend their own security. That is your first responsibility.”noted the source.
