EU welcomes US-Iran peace deal

The EU has warmly welcomed the agreement reached between the US and Iran.

This, it goes on to say, follows “sustained diplomatic effort” by several partners.

The priority now, cautions the EU, is its “swift and full implementation by all parties”.

The war began with US and Israeli strikes across Iran on 28 February, prompting Iran to attack Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf

Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was speaking after US president Donald Trump announced the announcement of a deal to end hostilities between the US and Iran.

In a statement on Monday (15 June), von der Leyen said: “This agreement should allow for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. 

“Freedom of navigation must be restored toll-free.This is essential for regional stability and the global economy.

“It opens the door to broader negotiations on peace and security in the Middle East.

“And should end Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programmes and its destabilising activities in the region.”

She added: “And of course there can be no peace in the Middle East while Lebanon is in flames.

“Once again Europe calls on all parties to respect Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity and implement a genuine ceasefire.”

World leaders meet in Evian, France on Monday for the  G7 summit and these are expected to include leaders and partners from the Gulf and the wider Middle East.

Von der Leyen said: “Europe is ready to play its part.”

She added: “This crisis also carries a clear lesson. Once again, energy dependencies have been weaponized. 

“We must diversify our supply routes and develop alternative export corridors to diversify away from the bottleneck of Hormuz. We will discuss this, and more, in Evian.”

Meanwhile, ahead of the G7 political groups in the EU parliament have issued a wish list of what they hope it will achieve.

These include the ECR Group which said the summit “must focus on Europe’s real strategic priorities, not secondary distractions.”

It calls for “stronger European defence capabilities, effective migration control, the consequences of instability in the Middle East, continued support for Ukraine, and a future EU budget that supports genuine European added value rather than new centralising ambitions.”

A statement added: “The next Multiannual Financial Framework must reflect the security environment Europe now faces, including defence, border protection, energy resilience, critical infrastructure and support for member states most exposed to external threats.

“The debate on EU-China relations must also be based on realism. Europe needs open trade, but not naivety. The EU must respond more firmly to unfair competition, market distortions, export controls on critical raw materials and technologies, and the lack of reciprocity in access to China’s market.

“For the ECR, Europe’s answer should be to reduce strategic dependencies on China, work more closely with like-minded partners across the globe, strengthen competitiveness and resilience, and secure fair conditions for the European industry.”

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