Iran Says US Already ‘Militarily Involved’ in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

 An Israeli armored personnel carrier (APC) moves on a road towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. (AP)
An Israeli armored personnel carrier (APC) moves on a road towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. (AP)
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Iran Says US Already ‘Militarily Involved’ in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

 An Israeli armored personnel carrier (APC) moves on a road towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. (AP)
An Israeli armored personnel carrier (APC) moves on a road towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. (AP)

The United States is already heavily involved in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and must be held to account, an Iranian official said on Monday.

The US is bolstering its firepower in the Middle East in response to war between its ally Israel and the Iranian-backed Palestinian militants Hamas amid fears of regional spillover.

Asked if Tehran would engage if the US weighed in, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said: "Iran considers that the United States is already militarily involved in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians."

"The crimes of the Zionist regime are carried out with the support of the United States and Washington must be held accountable," he added at a news conference.

The newest US aircraft carrier - also the world's largest - is already in the eastern Mediterranean and is due to be joined by a second US aircraft carrier in coming days.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday the aircraft carriers are not a provocation but a deterrence.



EU Targets Iranian Shipping Firms in New Sanctions

European Union flags flutter outside the European Central Bank headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, April 26, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo
European Union flags flutter outside the European Central Bank headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, April 26, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo
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EU Targets Iranian Shipping Firms in New Sanctions

European Union flags flutter outside the European Central Bank headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, April 26, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo
European Union flags flutter outside the European Central Bank headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, April 26, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo

The European Union has widened its sanctions against Iran over Tehran's support of Russia in its war with Ukraine, the European Commission said on Monday.

The Commission said it had added the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and its director Mohammad Reza Khiabani - among others - to its sanctions list, Reuters reported.

The fresh sanctions target vessels and ports used for transporting Iranian-made Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), missiles, and related technologies and components. They include prohibiting any transaction with ports and locks owned, operated, or controlled by the sanctioned individuals and entities.

The EU is also sanctioning three Russian shipping firms - MG Flot, VTS Broker, and Arapax - for transporting Iranian weapons, including drone parts, across the Caspian Sea to resupply Russian troops in Ukraine.