Friedrich Merz visits US President Donald Trump in the White House. The German Chancellor said that this is not the time to “lecture” partners and allies. Image: keystone
analysis
Spain warns as Germany, France and Britain side with US in Iran war. But the EU’s influence is weak – Europe once again finds itself in a secondary role.
March 5, 2026, 7:40 p.mMarch 5, 2026, 7:40 p.m
The war began with the firing of 40 cruise missiles by American naval units. But their destination was Baghdad, not Tehran, and the year 2003, not 2026. That too Iraq Warwhich led to the overthrow of the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime, was, like the current war against Iran, waged without a UN mandate; The vast majority of international law experts therefore classify it today as a war of aggression that violates international law.
Divided Europe
This war, which lasted only a little more than a month, but whose unfortunate consequences continue to the present day, divided the European states, even in the run-up to it. While Great Britain, Spain, Italy and several Eastern European countries, including Poland, the interventionist policies of US President George W. Bush as part of the so-called Coalition of the willing France and Germany in particular categorically rejected a war without a UN mandate.
The overthrow of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein did not bring peace to his country. Image: AP
Both the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who sided with the USA, and the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who publicly announced his rejection of any military intervention in Iraq, did so without any consultation with the EU. The EU’s common foreign and security policy was in ruins – Europe, divided into two camps, did not speak a common language. However, this refers to the government level, because the population in almost all countries clearly rejected the war in surveys.
US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld described the Franco-German coalition that opposed the war as this “old Europe”which stands in contrast to a “new Europe” that can be found in the east of the continent. These new democracies, which – influenced by the former Soviet yoke – sought to join NATO and the EU, were emphatically US-friendly.
Blair (left) and Schröder: No consultation with the EU.Image: EPA
In retrospect, the negative German-French position appears to be more of a wise one – especially since the American justification for the war turned out to be untrue: the alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction were never found and the Iraqi regime’s support of the terrorist network al-Qaeda could not be proven. In addition, the long-term consequences of the war and the occupation of Iraq – terrorism, refugee flows and economic burdens – hit Europe much harder than the USA.
Hardly any criticism of the USA
Fast forward to the present: again there is war in the Middle East. The US and Israeli air forces are bombing targets in Iran, and numerous high-ranking officials of the mullahs’ regime have already been killed. including the long-time spiritual leader and true ruler of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei.
How does Europe react to this new war? The EU has long warned of a new Iran war and favored a diplomatic solution. Together with Great Britain, France and Germany tightened sanctions against the mullahs’ regime, which had proven to be completely murderous with the ruthless and extremely bloody suppression of the protests in the country. The EU also classified the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.
When the fighting began – most European governments were probably not informed in advance – the Europeans almost unanimously supported the actually unpopular US President Donald Trump. The French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot criticized thisthe attack should have been discussed beforehand and could only be legitimized by the UN Security Council.
Barrot referred to the lack of a UN mandate for the Iran war. Image: keystone
But German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said this was not the time to “lecture” partners and allies. Merz, who had already caused a stir during the 12-day war last June with the remark that Israel was only doing “dirty work for all of us,” admitted that neither appeals from Europe nor extensive sanctions packages had achieved much over the decades. This was also because they were not prepared to enforce their interests with military force if necessary.
Spanish resistance
Only Spain left the phalanx and publicly criticized the war. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told Euronews in Brussels that the “unilateral action” by the USA and Israel was not covered by international law and that Iran’s counterattacks were “not justified”. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the war without a UN mandate as a “violation of international law” and banned the USAto launch attacks from their bases in Spain.
“Not covered by international law”: Sánchez in his TV speech. Image: keystone
The US Air Force then moved some KC-135 tanker aircraft from Spain to the US base at Ramstein in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. And US President Trump shot back with the threat that Spain had behaved “horribly” and that the USA would therefore stop “all deals” with Madrid. Sánchez then called on the USA, Israel and Iran in a TV speech once again calls for an immediate cessation of mutual attacks. Addressing the US President, he emphasized that it was “naive to believe that blind and submissive obedience means leadership.”
Morón de la Frontera military base: Spain banned its use for military operations against Iran that are not in accordance with international law.Image: EPA EFE
The Spanish-American exchange of blows sparked by a statement from Washington, Spain be ready to work together nowand the immediate denial from Madrid took another round, which also led to an upset between Madrid and Berlin. Since Merz initially remained silent about Trump’s accusations against Spain, Foreign Minister Albares accused the German head of government of a lack of solidarity. Merz tried to limit the damage by making it clear to the press that Spain was a member of the EU and that the EU was “only conducting negotiations on a customs agreement with the USA together or not at all”. Also French President Emmanuel Macron and the EU Commission took Spain to their defense.
No mention of international law
Meanwhile, Berlin, Paris and London issued a joint statement saying they were not involved in the military action. The so-called E3 states – the three most important NATO members in Europe – refrained from classifying the attack on Iran as violating international law. In any case, references to international law were missing from their statement. They strongly condemned the Iranian counterattacks and called for negotiations to be resumed. They called on the Iranian leadership to find a negotiated solution.
Great Britain, which is the only E3 country directly affected by hostilities due to Iranian drone attacks on its air base in Cyprus, said it was exercising its collective self-defense right. Although the country provides logistical support for the war against Iran, London wants to avoid the appearance of being on the side of the US and Israel. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is probably also maneuvering because he knows how Tony Blair badly damaged his political reputation in the Iraq War.
The British air base at Akrotiri in Cyprus.Image: keystone
A special meeting called by the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas resulted in a joint statement from the 27 EU states that they were following developments in Iran and the Middle East with “greatest concern”. They should not lead to an escalation “that could threaten the Middle East, Europe and beyond – with unforeseeable consequences, including in the economic area.” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also called for de-escalation and said the only lasting solution was a diplomatic one.
Only a supporting role for the EU
Europe and with it the EU, whose relative weight in the world is constantly decreasing demographically and economically, is facing the collapse of the world rule-based world order largely helpless. However, this world order, which was established after the Second World War, was never truly globally accepted and was fundamentally based on the militarily secured strength of the USA. It began to disintegrate with the American “war on terrorism” after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The Iraq War was one of the milestones in this development. European protests and references to international law had little effect.
The Unilateralism in the USA under President George W. Bush was moderate compared to today’s conditions under Donald Trump. This US president, who antagonizes his European allies at will, has made the Europeans painfully aware of their own weakness. Whether they talk about international law or prefer to remain silent, they have to swallow what Washington serves up anyway.
Current US President Donald Trump in front of a portrait of President George W. Bush.Image: keystone
This is also because the EU, as the most important European institution, has been postponing serious reforms for decades, as Charles Liebherr points out srf.ch commented. The military buildup is only getting off to a slow start and its implementation is making more and more differences among the EU states clear. And the requirement for unanimity prevents rapid action. All of this means that, despite its still considerable economic weight, the EU only plays a secondary role politically and militarily and can hardly make itself heard.
This map shows an overview of the attacks of the war in Iran after 48 hours
Video: Watson/Michael Shepherd