Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
In a session of the European Parliament, during which Foreign Policy Coordinator Josep Borrell spoke and was devoted to discussing the Iranian attack on Israel and the need to stop the escalation. The European official said
Yes, on April 13, the Iranian attack on Israel was unprecedented. This has never happened before. This is the first time that Iran has attacked Israel directly from its territory, with hundreds of drones and missiles. All this without forgetting the Israeli attack [on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus] that preceded it, and which we also condemned when it happened. “This air attack [by Iran] represents a major escalation of the already very tense situation in the region,” Borrell added in his speech published by his office in Brussels on Wednesday morning.
I want to use the same words that UN Secretary-General [Antonio] Guterres used at the UN Security Council, where he said: “The region is on the brink.”
It now finally looks like we will be moving a little further from the border after we expect explosions in Isfahan and Iran. But both sides - Israel and Iran - are using these attacks as a new element of escalation.
It is a very volatile situation, and on the northern border between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon is once again heading towards a very fragile situation. The United Nations warns that any miscalculation by one party could spark another conflict. In any case, the level of gunfire on the Lebanese borders has risen to levels not seen since 2006.
27 EU leaders - also at Foreign Minister level - have sent a strong message over the past days. We, the European Union - and with us the member states - have taken a strong position calling on all actors in the region to move away from this abyss, which is the abyss referred to by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. We discussed the matter at the foreign minister level on Monday.
We all clearly condemned the Iranian attack and affirmed our commitment to Israel's security.
There is a political consensus to expand existing sanctions against Iran.
Foreign Ministers, in a meeting with Defense Ministers, reached a political agreement - which will be implemented in the coming days - in order to use the sanctions regime we already have in place. Because, from time to time, people ask for something we already have. We have a sanctions regime against Iran for supplying drones to Russia. Well, the sanctions regime can now be used to impose sanctions on missile production and their potential transfer from Iran to Russia. I'm saying potential transfer, but also the production itself, and also the targeting of Iranian shipments of these weapons in the Middle East and the Red Sea region. I knew what I was talking about. In the Red Sea region, we have a naval mission [Operation ASPIDES] to try to protect freedom of navigation.
Let me add that sanctions are an important tool, and we have used them to send a clear message to Iran about its dangerous nuclear proliferation activities aimed at destabilizing the region.
However, I think we have to understand that sanctions alone are not politics. Sanctions are tools of policy. Sanctions alone cannot deter Iran. This should be clear after years and years of international sanctions. Iran, along with North Korea, is the country most exposed to sanctions in the world. Sanctions alone cannot resolve the risk of escalation, and diplomacy must be given place. Diplomatic action must be equally important.
I think this is the right moment for diplomacy to make maximum diplomatic efforts. To work to calm the situation. Ask everyone to do their part. The EU and Member States are in contact with key actors because the EU maintains open channels with all parties.
This is what we talked about at the G7 foreign affairs meeting in Capri a few days ago.
As you know, I am in regular contact with the Iranian Foreign Minister [Hossein Amir Abdollahian] to stress to him how horrific these attacks are, warning that we are closer to a full-fledged regional conflict.
In recent days, we have also coordinated our efforts to reach out to Israel to show restraint, and with Arab and Gulf countries to use their influence. We held a meeting with the ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in Luxembourg on Monday evening. Immediately afterwards, I came to Strasbourg to share the discussions with you.
But this was an important occasion for the foreign ministers of the twenty-seven EU member states and the ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to exchange views on the situation in the Middle East. The pace of attacks and counterattacks may have slowed – and this is very good news – but the situation remains unstable and dangerous.
Finally, while we pay all due attention to the Iranian attack on Israel and the risk of escalation, let us not forget what is happening in Gaza. We listen and read the news.
Gaza remains at the epicenter of regional tensions. This is sending shockwaves throughout the region, and around the world. It will remain that way as long as the war continues, and more importantly, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not resolved.
So, we have to be able to build peace and stability in the region, taking into account all the conflicts that are developing there, taking into account our absolute commitment to the defense of Israel and its existence, but also taking into account the high human cost. For the conflicts going on there.
The European voice must be the voice of reason, in an attempt to alleviate human suffering and search for a stable peace that can only be achieved, in our view, through a political process leading to a two-state solution. But that's another story.