Israel pushes for sanctions in diplomatic campaign against Iran

On Tuesday, Israel initiated a concerted diplomatic effort against Iran, urging 32 nations to enact sanctions targeting the Revolutionary Guards and their missile initiatives. This action comes in the wake of Iran’s large-scale assault on Israel late Saturday, involving over 300 drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, retaliating for a lethal air strike on April 1 against the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

Israel’s defense systems, with support from the United States and other allies, successfully intercepted 99 percent of the incoming threats, leading to minimal damage, including at a southern military base.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz spearheaded this diplomatic maneuver. “In response to the missile launches and UAV attacks, I’ve embarked on a diplomatic offensive against Iran,” Katz declared on social media platform X. He detailed his efforts: “This morning, I sent letters to 32 countries and contacted dozens of foreign ministers and prominent global figures, advocating for sanctions on the Iranian missile project and the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.”

Although the U.S. has already designated the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group, and the EU has imposed sanctions on them, Katz did not specify which governments he had approached to impose further sanctions.

Israeli officials have committed to retaliating against Iran, which justified its weekend assault as a counteraction to the consulate strike that killed seven members of the Revolutionary Guards, including two generals.

“Iran must be stopped now – before it is too late,” Katz emphasized on Tuesday.