Israel urges more sanctions on Iran

West Jerusalem has announced a ‘diplomatic offensive’ against the Islamic Republic

Israel’s foreign ministry has called for international sanctions on Iran to be tightened, following the Islamic Republic’s attack on the country over the weekend.

Tehran carried out a massive airstrike on Israeli territory on Saturday in response to the bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria earlier this month. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its role in the bombing, but its responsibility was later implied by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday he has contacted 32 countries and spoke with numerous counterparts, calling on each to “place sanctions on Iran’s missile project and declare the Revolutionary Guard a terror organization, as a way to stop and weaken Iran.”

“We must stop Iran now, before it will be too late,” the FM said in a social media post.

Katz added that alongside the military response to the firing by Tehran of missiles and drones, he is “leading a diplomatic offensive against Iran.” 

The foreign minister’s statement comes as Israel’s war cabinet is holding its fifth meeting on Tuesday to discuss a potential response to Iran. Shortly after the attack, the war cabinet decided it will take “clear and decisive” action. The US reportedly said it would not participate in an Israeli counteroffensive and expects the response to be limited in scope.

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Israel promises ‘response’ to Iranian attack

A potential full-scale war with Iran would be costly for the Israeli economy, according to experts. Countering Saturday’s Iranian strike, which West Jerusalem claims involved more than 300 drones and missiles, reportedly cost Israel more than $1 billion.

Meanwhile, the Group of Seven countries (G7) were already working on a package of coordinated measures against Iran, according to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Iran has been the subject of numerous international sanctions for decades over its nuclear development program. Sanctions were eased somewhat in 2015 when Tehran agreed to some restrictions to the program under the Iran Nuclear Deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), between Iran, the US, the UK, France, Germany, Russia, China, and the EU.

However, the deal was scrapped in 2018 after then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew his country from the agreement and reimposed discontinued sanctions on Tehran. Several attempts in recent years to revive the Iran Nuclear Deal have failed.