The leaders of the EU, the UK, and Canada have welcomed a two-week ceasefire agreed between the United States and Iran, calling for rapid diplomacy to end the war.
In a joint statement, European Council President Antonio Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were among those backing the pause in fighting.
They also thanked Pakistan and other partners for helping to facilitate the agreement, according to the statement released by the European Council.
Calls for diplomacy and Strait of Hormuz shipping
The leaders said negotiations should now move quickly towards “a swift and lasting end” to the conflict and urged progress towards a “substantive negotiated settlement”.
They declared that protecting Iranian civilians and regional security depended on diplomatic efforts, and warned a settlement could help avert a “severe global energy crisis.”
The leaders of the EU, UK, and Canada called on all sides to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon.
They also said their governments would contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz — a key shipping route at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which large volumes of the world’s oil and gas pass.
