European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she welcomed an agreement between the United States and Iran and called for its swift and full implementation.
Von der Leyen declared in a statement on Monday that the deal should allow the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for global energy supplies.
Freedom of navigation through the strait needed to be restored “toll-free”, she added.
The head of the EU executive stated further that the agreement opened the door to broader talks on peace and security in the Middle East.
The deal should also end Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programmes and what she described as Iran’s “destabilising activities” in the region, she added.
Lebanon and energy security raised alongside the deal
Von der Leyen said there could be “no peace in the Middle East while Lebanon is in flames”, and repeated a call for all parties to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to implement a “genuine ceasefire”, according to the Commission’s statement.
She declared G7 leaders would meet partners from the Gulf and the wider Middle East in Evian, adding that Europe was ready to play its part.
Von der Leyen also said the crisis had shown that “energy dependencies have been weaponised”, and called for supply routes to be diversified and alternative export corridors developed to reduce reliance on what she described as the Hormuz “bottleneck.”
