Brussels | European leaders held emergency security meetings and scrambled to protect their citizens in the Middle East after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday that triggered global concerns of escalation into a broader conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting in response to the US and Israeli strikes in Iran. Germany and the UK are holding their own emergency meetings on Saturday to discuss the situation. The European Union is evacuating some staff from the region, and European leaders are planning to coordinate further responses.
The responses come after the US and Israel launched a major attack on targets across Iran, and US President Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to “take over your government” — an extraordinary appeal that suggested they could be seeking to end the country's theocracy after decades of tensions.
The strikes by the US create a dilemma for its democratic allies. While European leaders firmly oppose Iran's nuclear programme and crackdowns by its hard-line theocracy, they are loath to embrace unilateral military action by Trump that could breach international law and unleash a broader conflict.
Trump's strikes on Iran last June and the arrest of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro last month caused a similar quandary.
It was unclear whether US allies were given any advance warning of the attacks. The German government said it was only given notice Saturday morning. France's junior defence minister said France knew something would happen, but didn't know when.
“The escalation underway is dangerous for everyone. Must it stop? Macron said in a statement. France, which has military presence in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan, would offer military aid to its partners in the Middle East, the president said.
“The outbreak of war among the United States, Israel and Iran has serious consequences for peace and international security,? Macron said.
He called on Iran's leadership to commit to negotiations on its nuclear and ballistic programmes.
"The Iranian people should also be able to build their future freely. The massacres perpetrated by the Islamic regime disqualify it, and necessitate that the people be given a voice.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer chaired a meeting of the government's emergency committee on Saturday morning.
“We do not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict,” a UK government spokesperson said, reiterating Britain's support for a negotiated solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions. Britain was not involved in the strikes.
The German government's crisis management team was also due to meet.
Concern about “new, extensive” war
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Responding to the attack, the European Union's top diplomat called the conflict in the Middle East “perilous” and said she was working with Israeli and Arab officials to pursue a negotiated peace.
“Iran's regime has killed thousands. Its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes, along with support for terror groups, pose a serious threat to global security,” said Kaja Kallas, foreign policy chief of the 27-nation bloc, in a post on social media.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that he was concerned the failure of negotiations between the US and Iran meant a “new, extensive war in the Middle East” would happen.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Madrid rejected “the unilateral military action by the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order.” He said Spain “likewise” rejected the actions of the Iranian regime.
European Union leaders issued a joint statement Saturday calling for restraint and engaging in regional diplomacy in hopes of “ensuring nuclear safety.”
“We call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, to protect civilians, and to fully respect international law,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.
“Totally irresponsible”
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The Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons condemned the US and Israeli strikes on Iran in harsher words.
“These attacks are totally irresponsible and risk provoking further escalation as well as increasing the danger of nuclear proliferation and the use of nuclear weapons,” said its executive director, Melissa Parke.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim condemned Israeli strikes on Iran and accompanying US military action, warning that the escalating conflict has pushed the Middle East to the “edge of catastrophe.”
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday condemned what he described as “unwarranted attacks” on Iran during a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
Russia's Foreign Ministry called the strikes “a pre-planned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent UN member state,” demanding an immediate halt to the military campaign and a return to diplomacy.
In a statement posted to Telegram, the ministry accused Washington and Tel Aviv of “hiding behind” concerns about Iran's nuclear programme while actually pursuing regime change.
London | UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday condemned Iran’s “indiscriminate strikes” across West Asia and stated that British planes are in the sky as part of coordinated regional defensive operations.
In a pre-recorded video statement released by 10 Downing Street after he chaired an emergency ministerial Cabinet Office Briefing Room A (COBRA) meeting, Starmer reiterated that the United Kingdom played “no role” in the joint strikes by the US and Israel on targets in Iran.
However, he went on to describe the current regime in Iran as "utterly abhorrent” for murdering thousands of their own people, brutally crushing dissent and destabilising the region.
“So it's clear – they must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. That remains the primary aim of the United Kingdom and our allies – including the US," said Starmer.
“I condemn Iran’s attacks today on partners across the region, many of which are not parties to this conflict. We extend our support and solidarity to them.
“Our forces are active and British planes are in the sky today as part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests, and our allies – as Britain has done before, in line with international law. We’ve stepped up protections for British bases and personnel to their highest level," he said.
The UK PM noted that over the last year, Iran had also backed more than 20 potentially lethal attacks on British soil and poses a direct threat to dissidents of the regime and the Jewish community in the country. He stressed that it is vital that further escalation is prevented for a return to a diplomatic process.
“Iran can end this now. They should refrain from further strikes, give up their weapons programmes, and cease the appalling violence and repression against the Iranian people – who deserve the right to determine their own future, in line with our longstanding position. That is the route to de-escalation and back to the negotiating table," added Starmer.
Earlier, the UK joined France and Germany to issue a collective Europe 3 (E3) statement to highlight that they have "consistently urged" the Iranian regime to end Iran’s nuclear programme, curb its ballistic missile programme, refrain from its destabilising activity in the region and our homelands, and to cease the appalling violence and repression against its own people.
“We did not participate in these strikes, but are in close contact with our international partners, including the United States, Israel, and partners in the region. We reiterate our commitment to regional stability and to the protection of civilian life.
“We condemn Iranian attacks on countries in the region in the strongest terms. Iran must refrain from indiscriminate military strikes. We call for a resumption of negotiations and urge the Iranian leadership to seek a negotiated solution. Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future," the E3 statement reads.
The additional defensive capabilities deployed earlier this year by the UK were to its Sovereign Base Areas, including radar systems, counter-drone systems, F-35 jets, and ground-based air defence. In January, Britain also deployed Typhoon jets to Qatar from the Royal Air Force (RAF) joint Typhoon squadron for “defensive purposes”.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued urgent advice for British nationals in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and UAE to “Shelter in Place”.
“Due to reported missile attacks, British nationals in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates should immediately shelter in place. Remain indoors in a secure location, avoid all travel and follow instructions from the local authorities," the FCDO cautions.
It has also updated its travel advisory to recommend against all travel to Israel and Palestine.
The UK had withdrawn its embassy staff from Tehran amid reports of imminent air strikes, which came after days of build-up with US President Donald Trump ramping up the pressure on Iran to agree to a new deal on its nuclear programme.
