EU urges US, Israel to end Iran war, calls for diplomatic solution

BRUSSELS: The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Tuesday urged the United States and Israel to end their war with Iran, saying the bloc was consulting regional governments on ways to bring the conflict to a close.

Speaking to Reuters in Brussels, Kallas said the EU was exploring diplomatic options to help stop the fighting and bring the parties to the negotiating table.

“We have been consulting with regional countries like the Gulf states, Jordan and Egypt on whether proposals could be put forward for Iran, Israel and the United States to get out of this situation so that everybody saves face,” she said.

Kallas said the EU could also play a role in restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, though she stressed that any European involvement would most likely come through diplomacy rather than military action.

Several European countries have rejected calls by U.S. President Donald Trump to join a mission aimed at reopening the strategic waterway, a key route for global oil and gas shipments that has been largely blocked by Iran.

European leaders have said they are unwilling to risk their forces in a war they did not start, even as Trump warned that such reluctance could affect the NATO alliance.

Kallas said Europe did not fully understand some of Washington’s actions under Trump regarding Iran but had grown accustomed to the U.S. president’s unpredictability and was now “more calm” in responding.

The EU’s top diplomat, who previously served as prime minister of Estonia, said ending the war was in everyone’s interest.

“The problem with wars is that they are easier to start than to stop, and they often spiral out of control,” she said.

Kallas also warned that the conflict was already affecting Europe through rising energy prices linked to Iran’s disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

She suggested that a diplomatic arrangement similar to the wartime Black Sea Grain Initiative could be considered to ensure safe shipping through the strait.

Kallas said she had discussed the idea with Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, adding that the UN was working on possible solutions and that any arrangement would require agreement from regional countries, particularly Iran.