Tehran [Iran], April 24: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Tuesday criticized the European Union's recent decision to expand sanctions on Tehran.
In a post on social media platform X, Amir-Abdollahian said, "It is regrettable to see the EU deciding quickly to apply more unlawful restrictions against Iran just because the country exercised its right to self-defense in the face of Israel's reckless aggression."
The Iranian top diplomat made the remarks after the EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to broaden the bloc's sanctions on Iran in response to the country's massive retaliatory military operation against Israel earlier this month.
He called on the EU not to follow Washington's advice to satisfy the Israeli regime, adding it was also regrettable that while Israel continued its attacks against the Palestinians through "different war crimes, missile attacks and famine," the EU's response to such crimes is "almost nothing more than hollow words."
Amir-Abdollahian urged the EU to act responsibly and impose sanctions on Israel.
The EU's sanctions seek to curtail the exports of EU-made components to Iran, which are used in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ballistic missiles.
Last week, the United States announced a series of new sanctions targeting leaders and entities associated with Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Defense Ministry, and missile and drone program.
On April 18, Britain also announced new sanctions on seven individuals and six entities who it said "enabled Iran to conduct destabilizing regional activity, including its direct attack on Israel."
On April 14, Iran launched a missile and drone attack on Israel in response to the Israeli airstrike on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital Damascus on April 1, which killed seven Iranians, including two veteran commanders.
Source: Xinhua