EU calls on Israel and Iran for “utmost restraint.” And prepares new sanctions against Tehran’s drones and missiles

Brussels – The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, takes stock of the situation with the foreign ministers of EU countries in preparation for the extraordinary European summit today and tomorrow (April 17-18). With new tensions between Israel and Iran, the Middle East is “at the edge of an abyss,” Borrell said, tracing the words of the UN secretary-general. In this sense, European countries are all on the same side: “Use every means to avoid escalation.”

According to the draft conclusions of the European Council summit, EU heads of state and government will reiterate their “strong and unequivocal condemnation” of Iran’s attack on Israel on April 13, “full solidarity with the people of Israel and commitment to its security.” The leaders — concerned by the exchange of threats between the Jewish state and the theocratic regime in Tehran — will issue a call “to all parties to exercise utmost restraint and refrain from any action that could increase tensions in the region.”

There is no mention in the joint document being worked on by the diplomatic corps of the 27 Member States and the staff of the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, of Tel Aviv’s responsibility for the first bombing — heedless of the oldest rules of international law that stipulate the inviolability of diplomatic sites — the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, Syria. In that attack, on April 1, 16 people died, including several members of the Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s Pasdaran.

A senior EU official explained that “the EU has already condemned Israel’s attack on the Iranian diplomatic compound” and that “with regard to Iran’s response, the principle of proportionality must be applied.” Launching hundreds of drones and missiles toward a country, albeit warning first and not causing even one casualty, is not a proportionate response.

Borrell working for new sanctions on Iran, but “let’s not forget Gaza”

At the meeting urgently convened by videoconference by Borrell, some member states proposed an expansion of the already numerous sanctions against Iran. “I will send to the External Action Service the request to start the necessary work…The idea is to expand the existing regime against Iranian drones supplied to Russia in two directions,” the European diplomacy chief explained at a press conference. First, the type of weapons, which also includes the transfer of missiles, although “at the moment there is no evidence that Iran is providing missiles to Russia to attack Ukraine.” The second direction is to broaden the framework to make sanctions also apply against the supply of weapons for armed groups proxies of Iran in the Middle East.

 Borrell should discuss it as early as this morning in Capri with G7 leaders, who seem ready to impose new joint sanctions on Iran. But the High Representative issued a warning: “Today we are on Israel’s side, we give it our support against the Iranian attack,” but “let’s not forget Gaza.” The real victims of a possible escalation between the two regional powers would be the Palestinians in the Strip. “We do not have to forget what is happening in Gaza. Because there will be no regional stability, and [there] will not be a possibility to build enduring peace in the region if the Gaza war continues and, more fundamentally, if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will not be resolved,” Borrell warned.

However, on ending the Israeli offensive against Hamas, which has already cost more than 33,000 lives, the distance between the EU countries is widening, still unable to explicitly call for a ceasefire and put pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to protect Gaza’s civilian population. The EU leaders – reads the latest draft of the conclusions viewed by Eunews – will reiterate their commitment “to work with partners to end the crisis in Gaza and implement UN Security Council Resolution 2728, including through the achievement of an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, as well as increasing large-scale humanitarian aid to Palestinians in need.”