Callas called on the US and Israel to end the war with Iran
This was stated by Kaja Kallas in an interview with Reuters in Brussels.
On Tuesday, 17 March, the head of the European Union’s foreign policy service, Kaja Kallas, called on the United States and Israel to end the war with Iran. She also stated that the EU is consulting with the governments of Middle Eastern countries on how to bring the conflict to an end.
In an interview with Reuters in Brussels, Kallas said that the door remains open for Europe’s possible participation in efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, she said, such participation is most likely possible as part of a diplomatic settlement.
As Reuters notes, several European countries have refused to support US President Donald Trump’s calls to take part in a mission to unblock the strait, which is a key transit route for oil, gas and other goods and is currently largely blocked by Iran.
European leaders, according to the agency, have stated that they are not prepared to put their troops at risk in the midst of a war they did not start. At the same time, Trump has warned that such reluctance could have negative consequences for the NATO alliance.
Kallas stated that Europe does not understand some of the United States’ actions under Trump and their objectives in Iran. At the same time, she said, European countries have grown accustomed to his unpredictability and have become “calmer” in their reactions.
When asked whether it was time to end the war, Kallas said: “Absolutely. I think it would be in everyone’s interest if this war were to stop. The problem with wars is that they are easier to start than to stop, and they always spiral out of control.”
Kallas, who previously served as Prime Minister of Estonia and currently holds the post of High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the 27 member states, stated that the European Union is ready to assist diplomatically “to bring the parties together and truly stop this war”.
According to her, the EU has consulted with regional countries, including the Gulf states, Jordan and Egypt, on whether it is possible to offer Iran, Israel and the US options for resolving this situation in such a way “that everyone can save face”.
Kallas did not provide any details of these consultations.
Reuters notes that this war has become the latest in a series of events that have seriously strained relations between Europe and the US since Trump’s return to the White House in January last year.
According to Kallas, the main concern of European countries is that they were not consulted before the war began. She added that the opposite was true – many Europeans tried to persuade the US and Israel not to start this war.
Kallas also suggested considering the “grain deal” in the Black Sea as a possible model for the Strait of Hormuz. She said the war is already having a serious impact on Europe, and this is most evident in rising energy prices due to Iran’s control of the strait.
“No one is prepared to put their people at risk in the Strait of Hormuz,” she said. According to Kallas, diplomatic ways must be found to keep it open so that the world does not face a food, fertiliser and energy crisis.
She stated that she had discussed this idea with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and, in her words, the United Nations “is working on this”. “The question
now is what neighbouring countries, particularly Iran, might also agree to,” said Kallas.
