As the Iran and US talks have run into a standstill in finding a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear program, the EU and Europe have a bigger role to play, EU’s High Representative Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday after the informal videoconference with the foreign ministers of the Member States.
On the one hand, US president Trump says he hopes for an Israel-Iran ceasefire, on the other hand he has also said that the two sides might need to ‘fight it out”. After the successful Israeli attack last Friday, the Trump administration seems not be pushing for a return to the talks and is threating to join Israel in attacking Iran’s nuclear sites.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rejected on Wednesday Trump’s threats and call for an ‘unconditional surrender.’ “The Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.” However, the Iranian foreign minister has reached out to the US for a diplomatic solution and hinted that there still is room for negotiations.
“Of course, they (Israel and Iran) are saying that if the other one stops, they will stop as well,” Kaja Kallas said. “But it’s clear that we have these channels open, and we are constantly pushing to really to stop this war, because the risks for escalation and the risks of spillover effect are too great, just like the risks of miscalculation.”
While Khamenei himself is a hardliner, who denies the Holocaust and for years has threatened to destroy Israel, there is currently no effective opposition in Iran who could replace him and the regime. He still is the only one who can close a deal with the US on dismantling Iran’s nuclear and missile capacities and save the Islamic regime from falling apart.
In her press remarks, Kaja Kallas summarized that the EU foreign ministers called “on all sides to abide by international law, exercise restraint and avoid actions that could spiral out of control. We all agreed the urgent need for de-escalation.”
“Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, and diplomacy is the solution to prevent this. The EU will play its part. I also took note of the support of the EU ministers in the EU for my involvement in the de-escalation. I will spare no efforts in this respect.”
“It is clear that everybody agrees that Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and that is our end goal. But of course, there is a difference with understanding whether nuclear is totally out of the question, also for peaceful or civil purposes, which Iran is not agreeing to right now.”
She also referred to the statement of the G7 countries after their recent meeting in Canada. “We, the leaders of the G7, reiterate our commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East. In this context, we affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel.”
Asked whether the EU also recognized Israel’s right to defend itself against the Iranian nuclear threat, Kaja Kallas replied that the statement was not so much different from what the 27 EU Member States had agreed upon at their videoconference. In fact, the EU is a member of the G7 (besides Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Japan, Canada and the US).
“Of course, we stand behind the G7 leaders’ statement which affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself,” a Commission spokesperson confirmed at the Commission’s press conference on Wednesday, quoting the text of the statement.
High Representative Kallas is in daily contact with both sides and other EU partners to de-escalate the conflict. But the most concrete outcomes of the conference were the activation of the EU civil protection mechanism to assist Members States to evacuate their citizens from the region, to deploy civil protection experts and to continue the naval operation in the Red Sea to protect merchant ships.
According to the Commission, until now four Member States (Slovakia, Lithuania, Greece and Poland) have asked for support for assisted departures of their citizens. So far over 400 European citizens who were stranded in Israel have left via Egypt and Jordan on flights co-financed by the protection mechanism.
The Commission also confirmed that the conference on the implementation of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which was planned to take place in New York this week, has been postponed because of the Israel – Iran war.
“We understand the legitimate security and logistical reasons for postponing the conference,” a Commission spokesperson told The Brussels Times. “That said, our position remains unchanged. There is no other solution to the conflict. We stand ready to contribute to all efforts to this solution and call on our partners to refrain from any actions that undermine the viability of the solution.”
Ahead of the conference, hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists managed to gather in Paris at a Peace Conference hosted by the Paris Peace Forum, where they were welcomed by President Emmanuel Macron. “It was a powerful reminder, especially at a time of escalation, that another way is not only possible but already exists,” commented Dan Sobovitz, an Israeli peace activist based in Brussels.
In her press remarks, Kaja Kallas stressed that the EU foreign ministers were clear that they should not let their focus on the still on-going war in Gaza slip. “We again called for the immediate full aid access, ceasefire, and the release of hostages. And of course, we will discuss this matter deeply in the Foreign Affairs Council that is taking place on Monday (23 June).”
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the new American-Israeli mechanism for providing and distributing aid into the Gaza Strip, has reportedly failed to deliver sufficient aid during the Israel – Iran war. The aid continues to be looted and people risk their lives trying to collect the aid packages at only four places in southern Gaza.
