The sanctions are, according to the U.S. Treasury, aimed at disrupting “key aspects of Iran’s malign activity.” U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said they will limit Iran’s ability to carry out future attacks.
The sanctions do not target Iran’s lucrative oil industry, but the U.S. is targeting a steelmaker and auto manufacturer it said continues to “materially support” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“These sanctions – announced with the U.S. – show we unequivocally condemn this behaviour, and they will further limit Iran’s ability to destabilize the region,” Sunak said in an accompanying statement.
The announcement came as British Foreign Secretary David Cameron — fresh from a trip to Israel where he met PM Benjamin Netanyahu — held talks with his Western counterparts at a G7 meeting in Capri.
Along with other European nations and U.S. president Joe Biden, Britain has been urging Israel to show “restraint” in its response to the attack. But speaking after his meeting with Cameron Wednesday, Netanyahu said Israel will “make our decisions ourselves.”