The United States has just decided to make a move!

The United States recently announced that it will impose new sanctions on Iran in the coming days and strengthen the missile defense system throughout the Middle East. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the focus of the new sanctions is likely to be on restricting Iran's oil exports.

At the same time, Israel's wartime cabinet has met for the third day in a row to discuss a counterattack against Iran. An Israeli military spokesman said Iran would not "get away with it" either, and that Israel would hit back at Iran. Iranian President Raisi said that any further damage to Iran's interests would be met with a stronger and larger-scale response.

Russia and Turkey have also made statements and actions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on the 16th that Israel should take full responsibility for the recent tensions in the Middle East. Erdogan also revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey, but the exact date has not been set.

Against the backdrop of international tensions, international gold prices remained at historically high levels. Shipping market prices also continued to climb, with the Baltic Dry Index rising for the fifth consecutive session, hitting its highest level since March 28. In the Middle East capital market, the Saudi stock index fell 1.6% on April 16, and the Israeli stock market has also fallen for two consecutive days.

The United States will impose new sanctions

According to CCTV News, on April 16, local time, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the United States will impose new sanctions on Iran and entities that support Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the coming days.

Sullivan said the U.S. military will also work to strengthen missile defense and early warning systems throughout the Middle East "to further reduce the effectiveness of Iran's missile and drone capabilities." It is reported that EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell also said that the EU Foreign Affairs Committee met and unanimously agreed to increase sanctions against Iran.

According to the Axios news network in the United States, after Iran launched an "unprecedented attack" on Israel last weekend, Sullivan issued a statement on the evening of the 16th local time, announcing that new sanctions would be imposed on Iran's missile and drone programs. U.S. President Joe Biden is coordinating with international partners, including G7 members, and bipartisan leaders in the U.S. Congress to develop a "comprehensive response" to the Iranian attack, Sullivan said. In addition, according to Sullivan's statement, the new US sanctions also target "entities that support Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran's Ministry of Defense." "We expect our allies and partners to follow suit soon in imposing their respective sanctions. Sullivan claimed.

Regarding the new sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran, Axios News Network commented that Biden urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to exercise military restraint, but "in the economic field, the US government is showing its willingness to retaliate against Iran."

It was previously reported that US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is preparing to impose a new round of economic sanctions on Iran in response to Iran's "unprecedented" attack on Israel. Yellen will reportedly press finance ministers traveling to Washington for the International Monetary Fund's annual spring meetings this week to focus on possible sanctions and coordinate action with the United States.

Israel held a three-day meeting to discuss a counterattack against Iran

On April 16, Israel's wartime cabinet met for the third consecutive day to discuss a response to Iran's actions, according to Israeli media reports.

On the same day, several Israeli officials made it clear that they would respond to Iran's military strikes against Israel, although Israel's wartime cabinet still had no consensus on how and when to respond. At the same time, some Israeli officials said that Israel's response is not aimed at escalating the situation in the region, and hopes that after this round of response, the two sides can stop "fighting each other".

On the same day, the Israeli army held a joint air-ground exercise in the northern part of Israel near the Lebanese border. At the site of the exercise, the IDF displayed an Iranian ballistic missile that it was said to have intercepted a few days earlier. Israeli military spokesman Hagari said at the Julius military base that Israel would not "remain indifferent" after an Iranian attack and that Iran would not "get away with it." Israel will respond to Iran at a time and place of its own choosing, in its own way.

Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel marks a change in Tehran's attitude. Previously, it had relied on proxy operations in the Middle East. All eyes are now focused on whether Israel will take further military action.

Agence France-Presse recently reported that some security analysts say that Israel will almost certainly retaliate at some stage for Iran's unprecedented drone and missile attacks, but the question is how and when. They also pointed out the enormous risks to Israel and its coalition and their implications for the greater Middle East.

Security adviser Stefan Audrand said: "Traditionally, Israel has pursued a zero-tolerance policy when its homeland is attacked by another country. He said Israel's realities demanded that its hawkish prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, "cannot fail to react." Tamir, the former head of intelligence of the IDF, also believes that Israel will definitely strike back "on Iranian territory" at some stage.

Meir Litvak, director of the Union for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University, said: "If Israel responds forcefully, we are likely to face escalation and expansion. He said it was not in Israel's interest to start a war with Iran while fighting Hamas in Gaza, and that such a move would also make the U.S. government hostile. He warned that the longer-term consequences could be catastrophic for Israel.

Iran issued a warning

After Israel warned that it would respond to Tehran's drone and missile attacks last weekend, Iranian President Raisi said on April 16 that Iran would respond to any action that harmed its interests.

The Iranian presidential office issued a statement on the 16th local time, saying that Iranian President Raisi said in a phone call with Russian President Putin on the same day that any further damage to Iran's interests will be subject to a stronger and larger-scale response.

Raisi said that Israel's attack on Iran's diplomatic mission is a flagrant violation of international regulations, including the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and is a serious threat to global peace. Iran's counterattack was carried out in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter as a measure of self-defense.

During the call, Putin criticized the behavior of the United States and some Western countries in the escalation of the situation in the Middle East, stressing that Iran is one of the main pillars of stability and security in the region, the statement said.

According to TASS news agency, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani said on the evening of the 15th that Tehran would respond to any new Israeli attack "within seconds". Carney warned that if Israel decides to attack Iran again, it will definitely be hit harder. "The response that Israel will get this time will not be measured in days or hours, but in seconds," he said. ”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on the 16th that the Israeli leadership should take full responsibility for the recent tensions in the Middle East. He said that Israel has been taking provocative steps since October last year in an attempt to provoke a regional conflict, and the attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria is the latest example. As long as Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip continue, new regional conflicts could arise at any time.

He added that recent events have once again highlighted the "double standards" of the West, which has not been condemned by many Western countries for its attack on Israel and for its attack on the Iranian embassy and a flagrant violation of international law.

In addition, the website of the Russian newspaper "Izvestia" reported that Turkish President Erdogan said on the 16th that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey, but the specific date has not been determined. Erdogan confirmed this information at a press conference held after the cabinet meeting of the government, the report said. Erdogan noted: "I have a regular telephone conversation with Mr. Putin. The date of his visit to Turkey has not yet been finalized. I'm sure this issue will be clarified soon. ”

Editor-in-charge: Lin Gen

Proofreading: Liao Shengchao