On April 23, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian expressed regret over the European Union (EU) announcing sanctions against Tehran, following the retaliatory attack on Israel.
On social network X, Mr. Amirabdollahian said that it was regrettable that the EU quickly decided to impose additional restrictions on Iran just because it exercised its right to self-defense against Israel. Instead, he called on the EU to impose sanctions on Israel.
On April 22, EU foreign ministers agreed in principle to expand sanctions against Iran, by agreeing to extend restrictions on Tehran's arms exports to include drones or missiles. The decision came after Iran launched a missile and drone attack in response to an attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria on April 1, which Tehran blamed on Israel. Iran asserted that its attack was within the framework of international law, citing Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, and affirmed that it had no intention of continuing this activity and did not seek to escalate tensions in the region.
The international community is continuously calling on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid escalating tensions in the region.
In a statement on April 22, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani warned that Iran would have a tougher response if Israel made another mistake. Speaking at a regular press conference in Tehran, Kanaani stressed that Tehran's countermeasures had ended and that it had achieved its goal, but warned that if Israel made another mistake, Iran's response would be harsher and more decisive.