The European Union will discuss whether to hit Iran with new sanctions after the Islamic Republic launched 300 missiles and drones at Israel over the weekend.
But hardline views within the bloc will likely be watered down by a wider international effort to prevent an escalation between Israel and Iran.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, who has been keen to soften sanctions talk in favour of keeping diplomacy open with Tehran, warned Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian “not to escalate further”.
Charles Michel, the European Council’s president, who attended a meeting of G7 leaders over the weekend, added: “We will continue all our efforts to work towards de-escalation.”
The strikes will feature prominently in discussions between EU leaders when they meet for a summit in Brussels later this week.
At their last meeting, they discussed whether to hit Iran with new economic sanctions in response to intelligence warnings that Tehran was preparing to ship ballistic missiles to Russia.
The bloc’s foreign ministers will hold talks via video conference on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the EU’s Aviation Safety Agency has recommended a buffer zone of 100 nautical miles around Israel.
For Iran, it warned: “There continues to be an increased potential for miscalculation and/or misidentification” in airspace over the capital Tehran.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
