German foreign minister calls for more sanctions on Iran after attack

Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister, makes a statement at the Federal Foreign Office following the Iranian attack on Israel. For the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic, Iran had directly attacked its arch-enemy Israel during the night. Fabian Sommer/dpa
Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister, makes a statement at the Federal Foreign Office following the Iranian attack on Israel. For the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic, Iran had directly attacked its arch-enemy Israel during the night. Fabian Sommer/dpa
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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for tougher sanctions on Tehran after Iran launched a direct and unprecedented attack on Israel.

Sanctions are already in play concerning the drones used in Russia's war on Ukraine, she said. "I am strongly in favour of extending them to Iran, because we can see how dangerous its actions are at the moment," she told public broadcaster ARD.

Her comments came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Brussels would discuss further sanctions on Iran, particularly with regard to Iran's drone and missile programmes.

The European Union imposed additional sanctions on Tehran in December in a bid to prevent Iran from producing drones used by Moscow in Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.