Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian urged Tuesday the European Union to take responsible action and impose sanctions on "Israel" over its war crimes against the Palestinian people.

Amir-Abdollahian criticized the EU for imposing additional illegal sanctions on Iran over its retaliatory attack on Israeli targets and advised the bloc against following Washington's lead.

"It is regrettable to see the EU deciding quickly to apply more unlawful restrictions against Iran just because Iran exercised its right to self-defense in the face of Israel’s reckless aggression," the top Iranian diplomat wrote on X. 

It is regrettable to see the EU deciding quickly to apply more unlawful restrictions against Iran just because Iran exercised its right to self-defence in the face of Israel’s reckless aggression. The EU should not follow Washington’s advice to satisfy the criminal Israeli…

— H.Amirabdollahian امیرعبداللهیان (@Amirabdolahian) April 23, 2024

"The EU should not follow Washington’s advice to satisfy the criminal Israeli regime," he added.

The Iranian Foreign Minister expressed disappointment over the EU's inaction to the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, citing war crimes, missile attacks, and famine.

This comes one day after EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell declared the unanimous agreement by the bloc's foreign ministers to expand sanctions on Iranian manufacturers and exporters of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles – alleging their potential transfer to Russia, the Middle East, and the Red Sea.

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The big picture

The sanction campaign by the EU was preceded by sanctions from the US and the UK last week over Iran's retaliatory strikes on "Israel" earlier this month.

The United States and Britain announced widespread sanctions against Iran's military drone program.

Washington's sanctions target 16 people and two companies reportedly involved in Iran's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program, as well as components for the drones used in the attack, according to the Treasury Department.

"We will continue to deploy our sanctions authority to counter Iran with further actions in the days and weeks ahead," US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen confirmed in a statement.

Iran's representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, explained that the retaliatory attack came in "the exercise of Iran's inherent right to self-defense as outlined in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations and recognized by international law."

The UK government also targeted seven individuals and six companies for allegedly enabling Iran to continue what it described as "destabilizing regional activity, including its direct attack on Israel."

200 days of Israeli aggression, 34,183 killed, 77,143 injured in Gaza

The Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed Tuesday that the number of Palestinians killed as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression since October 7 has risen to 34,183 and those injured to 77,143.

In its daily report, the Ministry said that the Israeli occupation forces have committed three massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, resulting in 32 martyrs and 59 injuries who were transferred to hospitals in the past 24 hours.

It noted that many victims of the Israeli aggression remain trapped under rubble and on roads inaccessible to ambulance and civil defense crews.