BRUSSELS, 5 Mar (Reuters) – Middle Eastern countries told European authorities that they are concerned about the risk of a civil war in Iran, as a result of Tehran’s conflict with the United States and Israel, said on Thursday the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas.
“When we speak with the countries of the region, they also express concern about the possibility of civil wars in Iran due to the regime’s leadership and what is happening there,” she said before a videoconference with EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council on the situation in Iran and the Middle East in general.
The EU wants to promote a diplomatic solution. “Wars really end in diplomacy and there must be room for diplomacy here to really break out of this cycle of escalation,” she told reporters.
The EU is ‘extremely concerned’ about maritime security in the region and is trying to keep routes such as the Strait of Hormuz open, she said. However, as the EU does not depend on oil from Gulf countries, attacks in that region have not had a major short-term impact on the EU’s oil supply security.
The conflict has also intensified a dispute between the United States and Spain, with Washington threatening to cut trade with Madrid because of Spain’s refusal to allow U.S. aircraft to use jointly operated naval and air bases in southern Spain for the offensive against Tehran.
Spain criticized the U.S. and Israel’s bombings of Iran as reckless and illegal. The White House said on Wednesday that Spain agreed to cooperate, but Madrid denied this.
Asked about the dispute, Kallas said she hopes Washington will respect the trade agreement reached last year, which applies to all EU member states.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro and Lili Bayer)
