'Almost non-stop sirens' across Israel as Iran fires missiles
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23/06/2025
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Euronews
29 minutes ago
- Euronews
EU will revisit suspending partnership deal with Israel over Gaza
If Israel doesn't 'improve the situation' in Gaza, the EU will discuss 'further measures' on how to suspend its association agreement with Tel Aviv at its next gathering in July, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters following a highly anticipated meeting with her EU counterparts in Brussels. 'Our first goal is to change the situation on the ground,' Kallas said. 'If the situation does not improve, then we can discuss further measures and come back in July.' Kallas spoke a few days after she presented to the ministers an eight-page review of the bloc's EU-Israel association agreement, which stated that there were 'indications' that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the agreement. The EU's foreign ministers were expected to respond to a list of violations which include the blockade of humanitarian assistance, military strikes against hospitals and forced displacement of the Palestinian population. But the meeting also took place amid unprecedented tensions in the Middle-east, more than 24 hours after the US joined Israel's strikes against Iran's nuclear sites and hit three key military sites in Iran. Israel also blasted the EU-Israel Association Agreement review, saying 'this report and its conclusions should not be taken seriously or used as a basis for any future actions or conversations', in a letter from the country's foreign ministry to the EU seen by Euronews. Though diplomats argue that Iran and the war in Gaza are two separate issues, the US military intervention has added another degree of uncertainty among Europeans, who have been 'scrambling to see how to react', one diplomat said. If Israel does not improve the situation in Gaza, it will be up to Kallas to explore 'options' to suspend the association agreement. Though a complete suspension of the agreement appears out of the question because there is no unanimity among member states, the diplomat said one option envisaged by ministers on Monday would be to partially suspend certain provisions related to free trade, research, technology in the EU-Israel association agreement. The diplomat said Kallas would work with the European Commission, which is in charge of trade issues, to find options requiring a qualified majority, meaning at least 55% of countries representing at least 65% of the bloc's population. 'The concrete question is what are we able to agree?' Kallas asked.
LeMonde
36 minutes ago
- LeMonde
Georgia jails opposition leaders as crackdown on dissent intensifies
Three Georgian opposition leaders were jailed on Monday, June 23, in a mounting crackdown on dissent. The country has been in political turmoil since the Georgian Dream party won parliamentary elections last October. The opposition disputed the results and mass protests erupted, which only intensified after the government shelved EU membership talks. Demonstrators accuse the ruling party of sliding into authoritarianism and steering the country closer to Moscow – accusations the government denies. Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, joint leaders of the opposition Lelo party and staunch government critics, were each handed eight months in prison and barred from holding public office for two years. The court in the capital, Tbilisi, convicted them of refusing to testify before a parliamentary commission investigating alleged abuses under jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili. Zurab Japaridze, leader of the opposition Girchi party – who has been in pre-trial detention since May 22 – was handed seven months in jail and barred from holding public office for two years under similar charges. Saakashvili has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison on various charges, which rights groups have denounced as politically motivated. Khazaradze, who boycotted the trial, condemned the case as a "political witch hunt," accusing the government of "using its repressive machinery to silence and break the opposition." "Terror in Georgia: the government is intensifying its repressions," former president and opposition leader Salome Zurabishvili said after the verdict. Opposition figures and rights activists are being targeted in a wave of arrests and prosecutions. The politicians have refused to cooperate with the parliamentary inquiry, denouncing it as illegitimate and a tool to outlaw dissent. Ahead of last year's disputed elections, Georgian Dream announced a plan to ban all major opposition parties.
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
China calls for efforts to defuse tensions over Strait of Hormuz
China has called for greater international efforts to defuse international tensions affecting the global economy amid jitters over Iranian threats to block the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's parliament endorsed closing the Strait, a critical global trade chokepoint, in response to US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Iranian state media reported on Sunday, though any final would need to be made by Iran's Supreme National Security Council and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called for China to prevent Iran from closing the Strait, one of the most important trade routes for crude oil in the world. "I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil," Rubio said in an interview on Fox News. China is Iran's most important oil customer and maintains friendly relations with the Islamic Republic. Asked at a press briefing in Beijing on Monday whether China had spoken with Iran on the issue, foreign spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the Persian Gulf and nearby waters are an important route for international trade in goods and energy. "Keeping the region safe and stable serves the common interests of the international community. China calls on the international community to step up effort to promote de-escalation of the conflict, and prevent the regional turmoil from having a greater impact on global economic growth," Guo added. "Closing the Strait of Hormuz by Iran would be very dangerous and not good for anyone," said EU High Representative Kaja Kallas on Monday, ahead of a meeting with foreign ministers from the 27 member states in Brussels. Iran's short- and medium-range missiles would be capable of targeting oil infrastructure platforms, pipelines in the Strait, or even attacking commercial vessels, and surface-to-surface missiles could target tankers or ports along the Gulf. Airstrikes using aircraft and drones could disable navigation or radar equipment at major shipping ports in the region. Unmanned drones like Iran's Shahed models could potentially be used to attack specific shipping lanes or infrastructure in the Strait. Iran could attempt to deploy warships to physically block access to the Strait. In 2012, Iran launched a cyberattack on Saudi Arabia's oil industry, showing its growing capability in this area. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most strategically vital waterways in the world and any blockade by Iran would pose serious risks for Europe. Blocking the Strait was one of four Iranian responses to the conflict including terrorist acts on mainland Europe which security expert Claude Moniquet cited in an interview with Euronews. It would be "a disaster for Europe," the former French intelligence officer said. Threats to energy security, economic shock, security and military escalation, and shipping and trade disruptions are all among impacts expected if the strait is closed. Beyond oil, the strait is a key route for global shipping. Disruption could delay European imports of raw materials, electronics, and consumer goods, affecting supply chains. Insurance premiums for shipping could spike, raising costs for European businesses and consumers.
