New US attacks in Iran; the EU: “Make the guns fall silent”

Brussels – “The time has come for all parties involved to silence their guns and resolve outstanding differences by peaceful means, in accordance with international law”. The European Commission has condemned the latest US attacks in Iran and issued a renewed call to return to the path of diplomacy. It is Anouar El Anouni, spokesperson for the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, who has expressed the European Commission’s view and position on the new US missile strikes, which the Iranian authorities have denounced as a violation of the ceasefire agreed between Washington and Tehran. 

The tone adopted in Brussels when addressing the substance of the issue is the familiar one typical of a European Commission keen to walk a tightrope so as not to upset its US partner too much, while offering veiled and polite criticism. It is true that the call to “silence the guns” is directed at all parties, including Iran, even though the aggressor is clear and obvious. Of course, there is still an implicit criticism: on the issue of the conflict in Iran, “our position has not changed; it remains consistent and unchanged”, emphasises Kallas’s spokesperson, seeking to mark the distances from those who preach one thing and practice another. 

“The EU has always maintained that diplomatic intervention is needed to end the war in the Middle East and fully restore freedom of navigation,” continues El Anouni, who is speaking the truth. Heads of state and government, along with representatives of the EU institutions, have long made it clear that they oppose the conflict  and want a swift solution. “Safe and free passage, without tolls, through the Strait of Hormuz is in the interests of the region and the global economy,” continues Kallas’s spokesperson. In this regard, “we will continue to uphold our diplomatic commitments to address, in coordination with our partners, all our concerns and interests.” 

In essence, the EU is once again distancing itself from the United States and its actions in Iran, while taking care not to alienate a key partner, US President Donald Trump, with whom it will have to continue to deal.