European leaders call for de-escalation and diplomacy as Israel and Iran conflict flares up

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Europe urged de-escalation and diplomacy as the continent woke up to news of Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and officials and Iran’s drone counterstrike on Israel. In their reactions, European leaders sought to navigate the complexities of their partnership with Israel, growing frustration with Israel’s actions against Gaza, the threat of Iran developing a nuclear weapon and the risk of a full-blown war in West Asia in reacting to the news.

Israel strikes Iran: Follow LIVE updates on June 14, 2025

The European Union urged parties to de-escalate, refrain from retaliation and “exercise maximum restraint”. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the incidents “deeply alarming” and called for a diplomatic resolution.

“The reports of these strikes are concerning and we urge all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently. Escalation serves no one in the region,” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in an early morning tweet on social media site X, as he called for diplomacy, and restraint.

Mr. Starmer said the U.K. was engaging its partners with a view to de-escalation. Germany was engaging with allies, especially the U.S., U.K. and France, according to its Chancellor, Friedrich Merz. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had informed him in the morning of the attacks on Iran, Mr. Merz said.

Also Read | Why Israel struck Iran?

The Chancellor said that Iran had threatened to accelerate uranium enrichment to a grade that violated the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, reiterating a message that Germany, the U.S., U.K. and France had sent the Board of the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) in a resolution on Thursday.

“The goal must continue to be that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons,” Mr. Merz said on social media site X. The authorities in Germany would enhance the protection of Jewish and Israeli institutions, he added.

COMMENT | The endgame of a 2,611-year-old Jewish-Persian enmity

Germany re-affirmed Israel’s right to “defend its existence” and the safety of its citizens, Mr. Merz said. Germany has a unique relationship with Israel, which “stems from Germany’s responsibility for the Shoah [Holocaust] ,” as per the German Foreign Ministry. In recent weeks, Mr. Merz had, however, criticised Israel’s action in Gaza saying the extent of its military offensive could no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas.

The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Mark Rutte, said it was crucial for allies, including the U.S., to effect a de-escalation.