EU struggles to be heard as war against Iran escalates

When the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday morning, “very few” people in Europe were told beforehand that the airstrikes were about to begin, a senior lawmaker in the bloc told CNBC.

“Very few people have been informed,” said Hannah Neumann, member of the European Parliament (MEP) and chair of the delegation for relations with Iran, on Tuesday.

He told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” that even German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, leader of the EU’s largest economy, “had just been informed a few minutes ahead of time.”

The lack of notification reflects how, four days after the Middle East conflict escalated, Europe has largely been on the sidelines as its broader economic impact means potential upheaval for the continent.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Alberto Costa issued an initial statement on Saturday saying the EU was watching developments with concern and had a “firm commitment to safeguarding regional security and stability.”

On Sunday, the EU said it would protect EU security and interests, “including through additional sanctions.” But Merz appeared to distance himself from this, saying that sanctions had not worked and that the use of force was appropriate.

“We were not prepared to enforce fundamental interests with military force if necessary. Therefore, now is not the time to lecture our partners and allies. Despite all our doubts, we share many of their objectives, without being able to achieve them ourselves,” he said. Yoa speech on Sunday.

One area where Europe could have influence over the United States is Washington’s use of its military bases, which allow it to launch attacks more easily.

The United Kingdom fell out of Trump’s favor after initially refusing to give the United States permission to use its military bases, but on Monday it did an about-face and allowed them to be used for “defensive” strikes against Iranian missile sites.

Trump gave interviews to two British newspapers in which he condemned Prime Minister Keir Starmer, despite the change of heart.

He told the Telegraph he was “very disappointed” and that it “took too long” for the United States to be granted use of British bases. Trump told the Sun that the US-UK relationship was “not what it was”.

Trump said Monday that with Iran’s regime weakened after Khamanei’s death, “this was our last best chance to strike.”

“What we are doing right now is eliminating the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime,” Trump said at the White House.

The EU has said it supports the United States’ goal of preventing Iran from having a nuclear arsenal, but the continent’s leaders are concerned whether military action violates international law.

“Iran’s full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as compliance with Iran’s legal obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, are crucial, and nuclear security is a critical priority,” the EU said in its statement on Sunday.

MEP Neumann told CNBC that the bloc’s immediate priorities were to deal with the fallout for the EU and “see what we can do together with our partners in the Gulf to de-escalate the situation.”

Asked whether it was almost impossible for the EU to have any interest in reducing tensions, Neumann said attempts should still be made to reason with the remaining regime in Tehran, even though it carries out retaliatory attacks across the Gulf and shows little appetite for diplomacy.

“Iran’s retaliatory actions are quite serious. They appear to be larger than expected… so we can and should use the diplomatic channels that we still have to perhaps get someone in the regime to reconsider this kind of escalation,” he said.

“We also need to work together, and that is something we can only do together as the European Union, to see how we can better evacuate European citizens from the region, and how we can create some buffers in our energy security, but also in the supply chains, in case the situation continues like this, and especially the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked,” he said.

CNBC has contacted the EU for further comment on its stance on military action between the United States and Israel and the level of communication it has with the White House on the ongoing conflict.

Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden and co-president of the European Council on Foreign Relations, defended the EU when speaking to CNBC on Monday, saying the endgame for the United States was unclear.

“What we’re seeing now is not a great picture of the coherence of American policies. Clearly, this is something decided in a very uncertain way by the president. And if you listen to it, there is no clear explanation for why the war started,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe.”

“When you start a war, you have to have a reason for it. You have to have a goal (and in this situation) it’s not clear in both cases… and that adds to the overall uncertainty of the situation,” he said.