Israel has become the Middle East’s leading destabiliser, threatening key European interests. Europe must avoid making the same mistakes that led to the 2003 Iraq invasion, prioritise diplomacy and urge the US not to get entangled in a war with Iran
Israel’s war of choice against Iran is quickly approaching the point of no return. If the United States joins the fray, as President Donald Trump is close to authorising, the war will become more destructive and could destabilise Europe’s regional allies with far-reaching consequences.
At this pivotal moment, European governments openly supporting Israeli strikes as “doing our dirty work” must come to their senses. Europeans should use their long-standing relationship with Israel to vocally demand it halts the war, while urgently ramping up diplomatic efforts with Arab powers to press Trump to not join the campaign.
This means not just withdrawing European political cover and longstanding military assistance but also adopting sanctions on Israel and suspending preferential trade deals, to ensure constructive movement on Iran, as well as wider regional issues where Israel is also pursuing conflict, most urgently in Gaza.
On the US-Iran front, there is still a narrow space to press for renewed diplomacy to ensure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon and to secure regional peace. It is positive that the E3 foreign ministers—in coordination with the United States—will meet with their Iranian counterpart on June 20th. This is a critical moment which both the Iranian and European parties should view as a last chance to avert an Iran-US conflict.
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