Albares calls on the EU to promote “de-escalation” in the Middle East and protect “freedom” in Iran

Eduardo González Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares warned his European counterparts on Sunday that “the EU’s role” at this time must be to support “de-escalation and diplomacy” in the Middle East and defend “freedom and basic fundamental rights” in Iran. “I have maintained that the role of the European Union at this time, in relation to the US and Israeli attack on Iran and the unstable situation in the Middle East, must be to call for de-escalation, a return to dialogue, détente, diplomacy, and negotiation,” Albares stated in a video released by the Ministry at the end of the extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council meeting (FAC). “Through violence, we will achieve neither stability, nor democracy, nor peace,” he added. José Manuel Albares participated this Sunday via videoconference in an extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council meeting convened by the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, to address the situation in the Middle East, following the massive attack carried out by Israel and the United States against Iran (in which the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed) and Tehran's subsequent response against Israel and against US military bases in several countries in the region, such as Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain. “Regarding the unilateral action of the United States and Israel, I conveyed that it has no place within the Charter of the United Nations and International Law, and that these are absolutely fundamental principles and concepts for the European Union that must be defended at all times,” the minister continued. “We are facing a military action that represents a very significant escalation, with consequences impossible to foresee at this time,” he warned. “Secondly, I have stated that the brutal, inhumane repression of the Iranian regime against its population deserves our strongest condemnation,” Albares declared. “It must cease immediately, and the role of the European Union must be to protect the freedom, democratic aspirations, and most basic fundamental rights of the Iranian people, especially women,” he stated. “I have also completely rejected the unjustified and baseless attacks that Iran is carrying out with missiles and drones against countries in the region, countries friendly to Spain, and the Gulf states of Jordan,” he continued. “This must also cease immediately,” he added. “Finally, I have also requested coordination at the European level to protect our citizens, Spanish citizens, and other European citizens who are currently in the region, many of them in very difficult circumstances,” he announced. “In short, the voice of the European Union at this time must be one of balance, of reason, of détente, of de-escalation, of diplomacy and negotiation,” he concluded. At the FAC, European foreign ministers issued a joint statement urging “maximum restraint, the protection of civilians, and full respect for international law,” including the “principles of the UN Charter and international humanitarian law.” They stressed the importance of preventing further escalation of the situation and called on Iran to end its “indiscriminate attacks” and “violations of the sovereignty of several countries in the region,” deeming these actions unacceptable. The ministers also reaffirmed the EU's commitment to regional security and stability, recalled the "comprehensive sanctions" adopted by the EU "in response to the actions of the Iranian authorities, both for their brutal repression and human rights violations against the Iranian people, and for the threats to the region and international security stemming from their ballistic missile and nuclear programs, and their support for armed groups in the Middle East," and reiterated their support for diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and achieve a lasting solution that prevents Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. King Felipe VI also addressed the conflict this Sunday, warning during the official dinner of “MWC Barcelona 2026” that “the Middle East is once again reaching a critical point, with a clear risk of regional escalation and unpredictable consequences.” “We call for maximum restraint in the use of force, respect for the lives of civilians, and a diplomatic solution to this current logic of confrontation,” he continued. “We appeal to avoid a chaotic situation and open repression, and to restore dialogue for a genuine search for peace,” he concluded.

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