The European Union has reached a political agreement to tighten sanctions on Iran in retaliation for the recent barrage launched against Israel.

The sanctions are designed to curtail the exports of EU-made components used in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, and ballistic missiles.

The bloc had previously set up a dedicated regime to target Iranian-made drones, which the country has used to prop up Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The so-called "kamikaze" Shahed drones have been launched against critical infrastructure and residential buildings, killing dozens, and possibly hundreds, of Ukranians.