On Thursday 26 June, European leaders welcomed the cessation of hostilities between Iran and Israel, following a ceasefire obtained on Wednesday morning by US President Donald Trump.
In their conclusions, under the heading ‘Iran’, they urge “all parties to abide by international law, show restraint, and refrain from taking action which could lead to a new escalation”, without specifically naming the parties. Israel is not mentioned at any point in this section. “The ceasefire between Israel and Iran is an important step towards restoring stability in the region”, stressed the President of the European Council, António Costa.
The European Council promises that the EU will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to ease tensions and find a lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, “which can only be achieved through negotiations”.
Iran must never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, the Council reiterated, adding that Tehran must comply with its legally binding nuclear safeguard obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The E3 members (Germany, France and the United Kingdom) have an instrument for negotiating with Iran in the form of the sanctions reinstatement mechanism (snapback) dating from the Iran nuclear agreement (JCPOA), which should be activated at the latest at the end of the sunset clause in October.
To see the conclusions of the European Council: https://aeur.eu/f/hlm (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with the editorial team)