Europe is divided over the US intervention in Iran.
While US President Donald Trump does not rule out the possibility of sending ground troops to Iran following the attack carried out by the US and Israel, alarm is rising again in Europe over a possible escalation of the crisis in the Middle East, as developments and consequences of the raids that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other Iranian leaders over the weekend are awaited. From the outset, the first reservations towards Trump and the first rifts among allies emerge.
While France has declared itself ready to strengthen its military presence in the Middle East after an Iranian counterattack hit a French naval base in the region and President Emmanuel Macron launched a nuclear plan with eight European countries, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated that the United Kingdom will not participate in offensive attacks but will allow the US to conduct defensive strikes against Iranian missile sites from RAF bases.
Meanwhile, Spain has denied authorization for the use of American bases for operations against Iran. A different reaction came from Athens: Greece ordered the deployment of a military force to Cyprus following drone incursions on the island, which for the first time involved an EU member state in the US-Israel campaign against Iran, ongoing since February 28.
“Although the Republic of Cyprus was not the target, I want to be clear: we are collectively, firmly, and unequivocally standing with our member states in the face of any threat,” declared European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a post on X.
For its part, the European Commission maintains “increased vigilance” and “close cooperation” with Europol and member states on “potential internal security risks” arising from the Israeli-American attack against Iran. This was reported by the EU executive following a meeting of the “security college” held in Brussels.
And our country? Defense Minister Guido Crosetto expressed support for providing anti-aircraft systems to Gulf countries.
All the details.
THE GERMAN CHANCELLOR EXPECTED TODAY IN WASHINGTON
Yesterday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in the United States, and today he will be received at the White House by Donald Trump. He will be the first European leader to visit Washington after the attacks on Iran. So far, Merz has not expressed any criticism of the US airstrikes, but yesterday, speaking to Deutschlandfunk, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated that Germany will not participate in military actions against Iran. “The German government has no intention of participating,” said the German minister. “We do not even have the necessary military means,” he added, since Germany, unlike the UK and the US, does not even have the required bases. “The Federal Republic has no intention of participating in any way,” he concluded.
FRANCE’S POSITION
Moving to Paris, President Macron instead issued a warning: an increasingly broad war between the United States, Israel, and Iran risks spreading to Europe’s borders. During a speech at the Ile Longue naval base, Macron announced that France is “progressively” entering a new phase of its nuclear deterrence, which he described as “advanced deterrence.”
And eight European countries have agreed to participate in his French plan. These are Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden, and Denmark, which will be able to host French “strategic air forces,” thus “spreading throughout the European continent.”
FAVORABLE TO DEFENSIVE OPERATIONS
Moreover, France is ready to assist Gulf countries targeted by Iranian retaliatory attacks, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Monday, adding that the initial Israeli and US attacks against Iran should have been discussed in advance at the United Nations, reports Reuters.
“Regarding more specifically our partners in the region, who have been deliberately targeted by the Iranian regime, we are ready to contribute to their defense,” Barrot told reporters after chairing a crisis meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Paris. “Based on their request, proportionally and in accordance with the principle of collective self-defense under international law,” he added.
ALIGNED WITH PARIS, LONDON
For its part, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed to the House of Commons that the UK will not take part in the initial phase of US and Israeli attacks against Iran.
However, the British prime minister reiterated the willingness to allow the United States to conduct defensive strikes against Iranian missile sites from RAF bases, stating that this was “the best way to protect British interests and lives.” Speaking in the House of Commons, Starmer said the UK was deploying aircraft and allowing the use of bases for defensive purposes due to attacks launched by Iran against UK allies in the region as retaliation.
SPAIN’S REFUSAL TO ALLOW US AIRCRAFT TO TAKE OFF FROM ROTA AND MORÓN BASES
A diametrically opposite position was taken by Madrid. Fifteen US aircraft left the military bases of Rota and Morón, in southern Spain, after the government declared that the bases cannot be used for attacks on Iran. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares stated that Spain will not allow its military bases, jointly managed by the United States and Spain but under Spanish sovereignty, to be used for attacks against Iran, a fact condemned by Madrid.
Defense Minister Margarita Robles said that the aircraft – mainly tanker planes for aerial refueling, including the Boeing KC-135 “Stratotanker” – were permanently stationed in Spain.
Spain’s position and the firm condemnation of US-Israel actions in Iran by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez once again make the country an isolated case in the region, potentially further straining its relations with Washington, notes Reuters.
FRIGATES AND FIGHTERS SENT BY GREECE TO DEFEND CYPRUS
Greece, on the other hand, sent two military frigates and two F-16 fighters to defend Cyprus after an Iranian drone struck the British RAF base on the island. The decision comes after a Shahed-type drone hit the British Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri, Cyprus, while other drone attacks on the base were “successfully intercepted” during the day, according to Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis.
Specifically, Athens declared it is sending the Belharra-class frigate Kimon and a second frigate equipped with the Kentauros anti-drone system to Cyprus. Two F-16 fighters will also be deployed. Akrotiri, located on a peninsula at the southern tip of Cyprus, southwest of the coastal city of Limassol, is one of two bases that Britain has maintained in its former colony since independence in 1960. It was previously used for military operations in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
This is the first time one of the British bases in Cyprus has been hit by a missile attack since militants from Libya in 1986, notes Politico. Although the bases are considered British sovereign territory, Cyprus is an EU member state and currently holds the rotating presidency. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides therefore informed EU President von der Leyen about the attack. As already mentioned, Von der Leyen then emphasized that Cyprus – and therefore the EU – was not the intended target of the drone attack.
AND ITALY?
During the urgent briefing to the Senate on the situation in Iran and the Persian Gulf, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani explained that “The United States and Israel decided autonomously and confidentially when to intervene.” On the same occasion, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto expressed personal support for providing air defense and anti-drone systems to Gulf countries that requested help after suffering attacks.
“There is a request for help from Gulf countries: air defense, missile, and anti-drone systems. The possibility of having protection: they felt attacked without having provoked this war,” the minister stated. “It is a political, economic, and international assessment that personally finds me totally in favor,” Crosetto added.
The Defense Minister nevertheless acknowledged the limits of national capabilities: “It is something that will also put us in difficulty here, because we are not the United States, we do not have unlimited resources, and we live in an era where unfortunately these threats can become reality at any moment.”
