US plans new sanctions on Iran following attacks on Israel

The US is planning new sanctions against Iran following Tehran's missile and drone attacks on Israel, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said.

Sullivan said on Tuesday, 16 April that US President Joe Biden was "coordinating with allies and partners, including the G7, and with bipartisan leaders in Congress, on a comprehensive response" to Iran's "unprecedented air attack against Israel".

"In the coming days, the United States will impose new sanctions targeting Iran, including its missile and drone program as well as new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Defense Ministry," Sullivan added.

"In addition, we continue to work through the Department of Defense and US Central Command to further strengthen and expand the successful integration of air and missile defense and early warning systems across the Middle East to further erode the effectiveness of Iran’s missile and UAV capabilities," he said.

On Saturday, Iran directly attacked Israel for the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Tehran said it was retaliation for the killing of high-ranking Iranian officers in Syria at the start of the month.