“There has to be emergency meetings left, right and center,” a senior diplomat from the region told POLITICO, underscoring the urgency for the EU to quickly adopt a strong position. “This is a turning point for the Middle East, Europe and the U.S.”
International law
Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Keir Starmer, the leaders of France, Germany and the U.K., said on Sunday night they would “take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source.” They will “work together with the U.S. and allies in the region on this matter.”
Shortly before that, the EU published a carefully balanced statement after the 27 foreign ministers held a two-and-a-half-hour video call. They called for “full respect of international law,” urged Iran to stop developing its missile program, stressed the need to restore regional security and expressed support for the “fundamental freedoms” of the Iranian people.
A major sticking point during the call of foreign ministers was whether the “international law” part of the statement could be seen as criticism of Trump and the Israeli government, four European diplomats either present or briefed on the meeting said.
On that point, European leaders have been publicly split.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the U.S.-Israeli strikes, warning they risked bringing about a “more uncertain and hostile international order.” But German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday it wasn’t “the time to lecture our partners and allies,” adding “we share many of their goals without being able to actually achieve them ourselves.”