First published by Deník N.
Initially, it appeared the EU would respond to the Israeli-American attack on Iran in a traditional, cautious diplomatic response — calling for “maximum restraint,” the protection of civilians, and respect for international law, while reaffirming the bloc’s existing sanctions on Tehran.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced she convened an extraordinary meeting on the Iran issue on Monday (2 March), after the foreign ministers of the 27 EU member states issued a joint statement after a crisis meeting on Sunday.
Last night, however, a separate — and significantly sharper — statement was also issued by the leaders of the so-called E3: France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
They stated they were “appalled by the indiscriminate and disproportionate missile attacks launched by Iran against countries in the region.”
They added that the Iranian strikes targeted their close allies and also threatened European military personnel and civilians.
The three major European powers will reportedly take steps to defend both their own and allied interests in the region by “enabling necessary and proportionate defensive actions to destroy Iran’s capability to launch missiles and drones.” They plan to coordinate with the US.
While these plans do not directly draw them into war, they signal a willingness to act against a regime significantly weakened by the death of Iran’s supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The following is an overview of the specific actions the E3 countries could now undertake in the Middle East.