All eyes are on the U.S. as the Israel-Iran conflict enters its seventh day, after Donald Trump yesterday said on joining strikes against Tehran:
I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.
In classic Trumpian style, the president added that “I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due.”
World leaders were likely sitting far further back in their seats when France’s Emmanuel Macron touted a potential European ‘initiative’ to resolve the conflict. Perhaps they’re expecting the fight to have already ended by the time this scheme is up and limping, given that reports explain the Élysée is currently only “planning to put forward a proposal with its European partners” (emphasis added).
Readers joked that the “resolution target would be around 2060,” and suggested the French “should send the same guy who resolved the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”
A meeting in Geneva tomorrow between European foreign ministers and Iranian officials for nuclear talks is unlikely to be any more fruitful.
Indeed, Tehran has made it clear it is far more interested in what is being said in Washington. Iran’s deputy foreign minister said on Thursday morning that “all the necessary options [are] on the table” in case of increased U.S. involvement in the conflict. Reports on Thursday said Trump already approved attack plans for Iran but was holding off to see if the Islamic Republic would give up its nuclear program.
In Britain, on the other hand, the government’s most senior legal officer has warned that getting involved in the conflict—beyond offering defensive support—could be illegal.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
