US action against Iran would fuel 'broader conflict', Kallas warns

Euronews

11 hours ago

Potential military involvement by the United States in the military escalation between Israel and Iran would "definitely drag" the entire Middle East into a wider, more dangerous conflict, High Representative Kaja Kallas has said.
Her warning came after Donald Trump openly suggested his country, a staunch backer of Israel, might take a hands-on approach to end the hostilities.
"We're not involved in it. It's possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved," Trump told ABC News on Sunday. He later said the US would be "gloves off" if Iran were to "touch our troops".
On Tuesday, Kallas made clear the European Union would not back America's armed intervention.
"When it comes to the United States getting involved, then it will definitely drag the region into broader conflict. And this is in nobody's interest," Kallas said in Brussels after hosting a video conference with the EU's 27 foreign affairs ministers.
"And from my call with Secretary of State Rubio, he emphasised that it's also not in their interest to be drawn into this conflict," she added, referring to the conversation she had on Monday with her US counterpart.
"We are constantly pushing to stop this war because the risks (of) escalation and the risks of spillover effect are too great. Also, the risks of miscalculation, which is making this conflict even bigger."
Kallas also weighed in on Trump's stated goal of wanting a "real end" to the conflict that would see Iran giving up its nuclear programme "entirely". The comments appeared to be at odds with the EU's long-held position of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons while permitting civilian uses.
"We're looking at better than a ceasefire," Trump said after leaving early the G7 summit in Canada. "A real end. Not a ceasefire. An end."
The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, was designed to curtail the country's nuclear programme and keep it exclusively peaceful in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump disavowed the deal in his first mandate, Iran began enriching uranium to levels that seemed to exceed any civilian purposes, causing worldwide alarm and condemnation.
Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found Iran was not complying with its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years.
"A diplomatic solution is the best way to address Iran's programme in the long run, and Europe stands ready to play its part," Kallas said.
"We cannot be lenient when Iran accelerates its nuclear programme."
Following the video call with foreign affairs ministers, Kallas doubled down on her previous calls for maximum restraint and immediate de-escalation, without adding any new element that could expand the bloc's limited role in the Israel-Iran conflict.
So far, Europeans have been largely on the political sidelines of the escalation.
The most concrete development was the activation of the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism, which is used to coordinate emergency assistance for natural disasters, such as wildfires and floods, and man-made crises, like wars.
"We have activated the Civil Protection Mechanism, and we are assisting member states to evacuate their citizens that wish to leave," Kallas said, noting that not all EU countries had the necessary planes to carry out the evacuations.
"In parallel, we stand ready to deploy civil protection experts, and our naval operation ASPIDES (in the Red Sea) continues to protect merchant ships from Houthi attacks while providing valuable situational awareness."
Kallas said the EU would not "let our focus on Gaza slip" and urged "immediate" and "full" access to humanitarian aid, which Israel has heavily restricted. But she refrained from providing details of the ongoing review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and how the strikes against Iran might influence the discussions.
During the press conference, Kallas was asked whether the market turbulence caused by the Middle East could derail the bloc's plan to lower the price cap on Russia's seaborne crude oil from $60 per barrel to $45 per barrel.
The price cap was a ground-breaking measure established by G7 allies to curtail a crucial source of revenues behind Russia's war on Ukraine. Last week, the European Commission formally proposed a downward revision of the cap to further tighten the screws on the Kremlin. The pitch, crucially, has not yet received US backing.
Diplomats in Brussels have suggested that, as a result, the review of the cap could be discarded to focus on the remaining elements of the 18th package of sanctions.
But Kallas believes the bloc should go it alone.
"I think that we should move forward with the (lower) oil price cap, especially because of the tensions also in the Middle East," Kallas said, warning that if the conflict further increases global oil prices, Russia will be able to earn more money from its clients.
"That means that they (will be) able to fund their war machine again on a bigger scale. So we definitely need to move on with the oil price gap."
The High Representative also struck down Russia's suggestion of playing the role of moderator in the Israel-Iran conflict, arguing the invasion of Ukraine was a disqualifying factor. "Russia cannot be a mediator if they don't really believe in peace," she said.
Ursula von der Leyen used her participation at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, to warn against a "new China shock" and denounce Beijing for perpetuating what she called a "pattern of dominance, dependency and blackmail" vis-à-vis its trading partners, in language seemingly designed to appeal to Donald Trump's agenda.
China holds a quasi-monopolistic position over so-called rare earths, the 17 metallic elements that are crucial for advanced technologies. The country commands roughly 60% of the world's supply and 90% of the processing and refining capacity.
"China is using this quasi-monopoly not only as a bargaining chip, but also weaponising it to undermine competitors in key industries," the president of the European Commission said during one of the meeting's thematic sessions.
"We all witnessed the cost and consequences of China's coercion through export restrictions," she added, referring to Beijing's recent decision to curb sales of seven types of rare earth minerals, a situation Brussels had described as "alarming".
The move was a response to Trump's sweeping tariffs, which caused a rapid escalation of tit-for-tat measures with China. Last week, the two sides announced a detente meant to bring down the spiralling duties and ease the export restrictions.
"Relationship [with China] is excellent!" Trump said.
But on Monday, von der Leyen sought to tap into the US-China rivalry to make the case for a "united" G7 front to counter Beijing's dominance with an "alternative network of trusted suppliers" and fresh investments in extraction and refining.
"Even if there are signals that China may loosen its restrictions, the threat remains. But there are other distortions. We are seeing a new 'China shock'," she said.
"A common G7 response increases our leverage – pressuring China to take more responsibility for the impact of its state-led growth model."
Von der Leyen also blasted China for flooding global markets with "subsidised overcapacity that its market cannot absorb", name-checking the dispute over China-made electric vehicles that her Commission considers to be artificially cheaper.
During another session at the summit, von der Leyen went further and declared that the source of "the biggest collective problem" in the global trading system dated back to China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001.
Beijing's entry into the WTO has been controversial, as it opened international markets to the mass production of low-cost exports. The admission is linked to the first "China shock" and a decline in manufacturing jobs in both Europe and the US.
"China still defines itself as a developing country. This cannot be. China has largely shown that it unwillingness to live within the constraints of the rules-based international system," von der Leyen said.
"While others opened their market, China focused (on) undercutting intellectual property protections, massive subsidies with the aim to dominate global manufacturing and supply chains," she went on. "This is not market competition – it is distortion with intent."
Von der Leyen's hard-line approach echoes many of the grievances voiced by the Trump administration, which is bent on curbing China's rise as an economic superpower and bringing back manufacturing jobs of strategic importance. It also tampers down growing speculation of a EU-China reset ahead of a bilateral summit in late July.
Von der Leyen's interventions were peppered with direct appeals to Trump, who was also present in the room, even if he left the summit one day earlier due to the military escalation between Israel and Iran.
"Donald is right – there is a serious problem," she said, referring to China.
In the immediate weeks following Trump's inauguration, von der Leyen and her team struggled to establish an open line to the White House, causing alarm in Brussels due to his disruptive positions on Russia, Ukraine, Greenland and the Middle East.
Trump's self-styled "reciprocal tariffs" in early April opened a 90-day window of opportunity to strike a EU-US trade deal and yielded the long-awaited phone call between the two leaders, in which they agreed to fast-track negotiations.
Still, talks are believed to be riddled with stark divergence and have made limited progress ahead of the 9 July deadline. Officials in the Trump administration have suggested the cut-off date might slip to allow greater space for negotiations.
"On trade, we instructed the teams to accelerate their work to strike a good and fair deal," von der Leyen said on social media alongside a picture with Trump.
"Let's get it done."