Tehran, Iran:

Iran announced on Thursday sanctions on several American and British individuals and entities for supporting Israel in its war against the Palestinian group Hamas.

The Islamic republic, the regional arch-foe of Israel, unveiled the punitive measures in a statement from its foreign ministry.

It said the sanctions targeted seven Americans, including General Bryan P. Fenton, commander of the US special operations command, and Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, a former commander of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

British officials and entities targeted include Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps, commander of the British army strategic command James Hockenhull and the UK Royal Navy in the Red Sea.

Penalties were also announced against US firms Lockheed Martin and Chevron and British counterparts Elbit Systems, Parker Meggitt and Rafael UK.

The ministry said the sanctions include “blocking of accounts and transactions in the Iranian financial and banking systems, blocking of assets within the jurisdiction of the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as prohibition of visa issuance and entry to the Iranian territory”.

The impact of these measures on the individuals or entities, as well as their assets or dealings with Iran, remains unclear.

The war in the Gaza Strip erupted after the October 7 attack by Palestinian Hamas operatives on Israel which killed 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Iran backs Hamas but has denied any direct involvement in the attack.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has since killed at least 34,568 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani holds a press conference at the end of the G7 foreign ministers meeting on Capri island, Italy, April 19, 2024.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Group of Seven Foreign Ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on April 19 for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who chaired the meeting of Ministers of industrialised countries, said the agenda of the three-day meeting was changed on April 19 to address the latest developments.

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Early Friday, Iran fired air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones. They were suspected to be part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country last weekend.

Mr. Tajani didn’t immediately address the incident, but said that G7 ministers condemned Iran’s weekend attack on Israel and urged both sides to exercise restraint.

“The political objective is de-escalation,” Mr. Tajani said in a closing press conference.