German Foreign Minister calls for further sanctions on Iran
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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock calls for new sanctions on Iran and for the release of the MSC ِAries container ship owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, which was seized by IRGC.
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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks during a news conference with her British counterpart after a meeting of the second German-British Strategic Dialogue at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Thursday, March 7, 2024. (AP)
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said she will call at the European level to further sanction Iran after its retaliatory attack on "Israel."
Speaking with broadcaster ARD, Baerbock said on April 14, "I actively advocate that they [sanctions] be expanded against Iran, because we see how dangerous its actions are."
The German Foreign Ministry also revealed that in a phone call with her Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-ِAbdollahian, she asked for the release of the MSC ِAries container ship seized by the IRGC in Gulf waters.
"In another phone call with Iranian FM Amir-Abdollahian today, Baerbock condemned the attack on Israel in the strongest possible terms. She called on Iran to immediately cease all violence against Israel, release the MSC Aries, and contribute to de-escalation," the ministry said on X.
In another phone call with Iranian FM Amir-Abdollahian today, @abaerbock condemned the attack on Israel in the strongest possible terms. She called on Iran to immediately cease all violence against Israel, release the #MSCAries and contribute to de-escalation.
— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) April 14, 2024
IRGC seize 'Israel'-linked vessel near Strait of Hormuz
Footage obtained by The Associated Press (AP) showed the IRGC Navy seizing an "Israel"-linked vessel near the Strait of Hormuz on April 13.
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One defense official who requested anonymity to discuss intelligence matters shared the video with the AP. In the footage, IRGC Navy members were seen rappelling down onto a stack of containers on the vessel's deck.
A crew member aboard the ship could be heard instructing, "Don't come out," before urging colleagues to proceed to the ship's bridge as additional commandos descended onto the deck.
The vessel in question is the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, a container ship linked to London-based Zodiac Maritime, owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group.
IRGC launched 'unprecedented' retaliatory attack on 'Israel'
The IRGC's Aerospace Force announced on April 14 that it targeted Israeli positions in occupied Palestine with dozens of drones and missiles, as part of the retaliatory response to the malicious Israeli crime against the Iranian embassy in Syria.
Described as "unprecedented", by a Sky News correspondent, the IRGC's Aerospace Force announced that the operation dubbed "True Promise" was launched in the context of "punishing the criminal Zionist regime."
The force said that the operation came "in response to the numerous evil crimes of the Zionist regime," including the attack on the embassy. It said that its forces, supported by other units of the Iranian Armed Forces, launched the "wide-ranging" military operation.
The statement added that the operation was conducted with the approval of the Supreme National Security Council and under the supervision of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, with the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the backing of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces.
"Details of this operation will soon draw the attention of the heroic Iranian people and the free peoples of the world," the statement concluded.
Later, the IRGC announced that it targeted Israeli military sites that successfully hit and destroyed their targets.
