British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, did not say whether the Royal Air Force will participate in joint efforts to defend Israel from Iranian attacks, ahead of the G7 summit in Alberta.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
As the war between Israel and Iran continues to escalate, European leaders have been caught off guard and are grappling with how to respond.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sent fighter jets to the region, but he has not indicated whether the Royal Air Force will participate in any joint effort to defend Israel against Iranian missile strikes. Britain’s foreign office has also warned its citizens against travelling to Israel.
“We are moving assets to the region, including jets, and that is for contingency support in the region,” Mr. Starmer told reporters while en route to the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., which starts Sunday.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Sunday that France has not mobilized its forces “at this stage.” And German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul offered to facilitate talks with Iran over its nuclear program, even though Europe has been cut out of the latest round of negotiations, which have been led by the United States.
“Germany together with France and Britain are ready. We’re offering Iran immediate negotiations about the nuclear program,” Mr. Wadephul said during a visit to Oman on Sunday.
The Europeans have been quick to back Israel’s right to self-defence and warn against Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but their calls for restraint and diplomacy don’t appear to carry much weight any more.
Europe no longer has much of a role in talks aimed at curtailing Iran’s nuclear program, and Israel did not seek support from Britain or France when its military launched its strikes on Iran on Friday. That contrasts with last October when British, French and U.S. fighter jets shot down missiles fired at Israel by Iran.
France has not yet mobilized its forces in response to the conflict, French Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said on Sunday. Israel did not warn French officials about its decision to strike Iran on Friday.THIBAUD MORITZ/Reuters
Israel and Iran kept up their bombing raids on Sunday for the third day, and their leaders exchanged more bellicose rhetoric. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of attacks that Iran “cannot even imagine,” and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian threatened a “more painful” response if Israel continued to attack.
Israeli officials said their military had struck dozens of additional targets including oil depots as well as the head offices of Iran’s Defence Ministry, police department and nuclear program. Iran’s Health Ministry has said that 128 people have been killed and around 900 wounded, most of them civilians.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on state television Sunday that the country’s defence was “entirely legitimate.” He also warned that British, French and U.S. bases would be targeted if they helped defend Israel.
Mr. Starmer, U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron have each insisted that their militaries have not been involved in Israel’s attacks.
Mr. Trump has also warned that “if we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.”
The reality of Iran’s nuclear ambitions
Iranian missiles have killed at least 10 people in Israel, including six who died after their apartment building in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, was hit. Among the victims were two children.
Complicating Europe’s response to the crisis is the deterioration in relations between Britain, France, Germany and Israel over the war in Gaza. The three European countries, and the European Union, have been highly critical of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and the lack of humanitarian aid. The British government recently sanctioned two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers and suspended negotiations on a trade deal with Israel.
Mr. Macron said Friday that while he supported Israel’s security, “these attacks must not distract us from the need to establish a ceasefire” in Gaza. Mr. Wadephul, the German Foreign Minister, also highlighted the war in Gaza on Sunday, saying the humanitarian situation was unacceptable.
Mr. Netanyahu has criticized the European position and accused France and Britain of emboldening Hamas. In an apparent sign of his displeasure, media reports suggest that he did not give the European leaders prior notice of Israel’s plan to attack Iran, unlike Mr. Trump, who said he’d been briefed.
Ellie Geranmayeh, a senior policy fellow at the Berlin-based European Council on Foreign Relations, said that despite the bad blood, Europe could still help to prevent an escalation in the conflict.
In an analysis released over the weekend, Ms. Geranmayeh said there was uncertainty over Iran’s ability to sustain a counter-response given the weakened state of its military and the depletion of its allies in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria. Nonetheless, European leaders should condemn Israel’s aggression and work with the U.S. and states in the Gulf region to prevent a wider conflict, she added.
The series of attacks should also “trigger intense engagement” by Europe in talks to control Iran’s nuclear program.
Britain, France and Germany were deeply involved in negotiations in 2015 that led to a deal with Iran. Mr. Trump scrapped that agreement in 2018 and he has tried to reach a new arrangement through direct talks with Tehran.
Ms. Geranmayeh said that “rather than retreating from diplomacy,” Israel’s attack should trigger an intense re-engagement by Europe in order to “offer a viable political and economic pathway that would provide the conditions for a revived nuclear deal.”