On Wednesday 8 April, the Heads of State or Government of France, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Canada, as well as the Presidents of the European Council, António Costa, and the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed the two-week ceasefire agreed the previous night between the United States and Iran.
In a statement, the eleven leaders thanked Pakistan and called for negotiations to bring about “a swift and lasting end to the war within the coming days” through diplomatic means.
Such an agreement will be “crucial” in protecting Iran’s civilian population, guaranteeing security in the region and “averting a severe global energy crisis”. And they reiterate that their governments are ready to “contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”.
According to the French company AXSMarine, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz had resumed on Tuesday, but was still far from the levels seen in peacetime. One of the elements of the provisional ceasefire to be negotiated between the United States and Iran concerns the safe passage of commercial vessels, particularly those containing energy products. Tehran has said it is prepared to guarantee this security “in cooperation with the Iranian armed forces” and on condition that the Israeli-American air strikes cease.
According to Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, spokeswoman for the European Commission, the EU imports 8.5% of its LNG gas, 7% of its oil and petroleum products and around 40% of its aviation fuel and diesel from the Gulf States. “We can foresee that this crisis will not be shortlived”, she stressed (see EUROPE 13843/1).
The ceasefire remains very fragile. On Tuesday, Iran launched attacks against Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates after the truce was announced. And it has reported Israeli drone incursions into its territory.
Asked about the EU’s diplomatic efforts to bring about a ceasefire in the Middle East, the spokesman for the European External Action Service (EEAS), Anouar El Anouni, said that the visit to Saudi Arabia that same day by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, demonstrated Europe’s involvement in the search for a political solution.
According to Ms Kallas, who spoke via the X network, the ceasefire agreed between the United States and Iran offers a “vital opportunity” to ease tensions, relaunch maritime traffic and create space for diplomacy with a view to a lasting agreement, “because the root causes of the war remain unresolved”.
According to Mr El Anouni, the EU’s priorities in this war in the Middle East remain unchanged: - preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons; - putting an end to Iran’s ballistic programme; - guaranteeing stability and freedom of navigation in the region.
Lebanon. On Tuesday, the situation deteriorated further in Lebanon, where the Israeli army stepped up its air strikes, particularly in Beirut, against the pro-Iranian organisation Hezbollah.
The Israeli government does not consider itself bound by the ceasefire announcement, a position endorsed by US President Donald Trump. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun denounced the “barbaric” attacks, which left dozens dead and demonstrated Israel’s “contempt” for international law.
In their declaration, the eleven European leaders call on “all parties to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon”.
While Israel had the right to defend itself against Hezbollah attacks, its military response had been “excessive”, said Mr El Anouni, calling for Lebanon’s territorial integrity to be respected and for the mandate of the UNIFIL mission to be respected. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)