The EU has failed to clearly back Israel in its conflict with Iran, instead calling for restraint on both sides and pushing for a “diplomatic” solution to stop the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, said EU foreign ministers were in “clear agreement” on the bloc’s top priorities regarding the Iran-Israel war during an emergency meeting on Tuesday, June 17th.
According to the foreign affairs chief, the ministers agreed on the need for de-escalation on both sides and endorsed diplomatic negotiations instead of continued military action, but also underlined that the end goal of all diplomatic efforts must be to prevent Iran from reaching nuclear capability.
“Ministers called on all sides to abide by international law, exercise restraint, and avoid actions that could spiral out of control,” Kallas summarized the meeting.
We all agreed on the urgent need for de-escalation. Iran can not have a nuclear bomb, [but] diplomacy is the best solution to prevent this, and the EU will play its part in these diplomatic efforts.”
At the same time, Kallas dodged a question on whether the EU will take either side in the conflict between the Middle East’s only democracy and an Islamist dictatorship. Instead, she simply reiterated that Brussels urges both sides to de-escalate and promised that she will personally “spare no effort” to engage with both Tel Aviv and Tehran to help them find a diplomatic solution.
As we wrote before, this newfound enthusiasm for choosing negotiations over military pressure is in stark contrast with the past three years of the EU’s Ukraine strategy, which focused on cutting all diplomatic ties with Moscow and pushing Kyiv to continue the war indefinitely, regardless of the human lives it cost.
With the Middle East, however, it seems Brussels is hesitant to take a clear-cut stance on the side of Israel. It recognizes the need to prevent the Islamic Republic from becoming a nuclear power, but finds it hard to clearly signal support with Tel Aviv.
That’s also why there was no strategic depth to Tuesday’s emergency council meeting, with the only tangible results being the coordination of rescue operations.
According to Kallas, the ministers agreed to activate the EU’s ‘civil protection mechanism’ to streamline the evacuation of EU citizens from the affected areas. In parallel, she said the EU’s naval operation ‘Aspides’—a fleet of one destroyer, two frigates, and a support ship, manned by ten member states—continues to provide escort to merchant vessels along the Houthi-controlled Yemeni coasts and gather vital intelligence.
