European leaders have demanded the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a moratorium on strikes on water and power infrastructure within the West Asia as they met in Brussels to grapple with rising power costs brought on by the conflict.
All heads of the 27 European Union nations identified collectively because the European Council issued a joint assertion Thursday calling for the stabilization of power shipments and “de-escalation and most restraint” from combatants.
Iran-Israel conflict updates on March 19, 2026
“The European Council deplores the lack of civilian life and is intently monitoring the far-reaching impression of the hostilities, together with on financial stability,” the assertion learn. The leaders additionally requested Iran to cease hanging neighbors throughout the Persian Gulf, sought worldwide cooperation to forestall any large-scale refugee crises within the West Asia, and stated some EU nations are exploring methods “to make sure freedom of navigation within the Strait of Hormuz.”
European leaders have deflected entreaties from U.S. President Donald Trump to ship army property to safe the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the worldwide circulation of oil, gasoline and fertilizer. Nonetheless, rising power costs due to the conflict and fears in Europe of a brand new refugee disaster have pushed leaders to make the West Asia a precedence on the summit.
“We’re very frightened concerning the power disaster,” stated Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever forward of the summit. He stated that power costs have been too excessive earlier than the conflict, however that the battle “created one other spike.”
“If that turns into structural, we’re in serious trouble,” he stated.
Leaders additionally mentioned various funding Ukraine after they didn’t persuade Hungary to cease opposing a large mortgage for the cash-strapped and war-torn nation.
European leaders have been deeply crucial of the Iranian authorities, however none have supplied fast assist to the U.S. Britain is flat-out refusing to be drawn into the conflict. France says the preventing must die down first.
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker stated that Europe “won’t permit itself to be blackmailed” into becoming a member of the USA and Israel army marketing campaign within the West Asia.
“Europe — and Austria as effectively — won’t permit itself to be blackmailed,” he stated forward of the European Council summit of the leaders of the 27 EU nations. “Intervention within the Strait of Hormuz is just not an choice for Austria anyway.”
EU overseas coverage chief Kaja Kallas stated there was “no urge for food” amongst leaders to increase a European naval drive within the Purple Sea to assist safe the Strait of Hormuz or in any other case be part of the fray.
4 of the EU’s largest economies signaled a willingness Thursday to contribute to “applicable efforts” to make sure ships can go safely by the Strait of Hormuz.
France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, alongside the UK and Japan, issued a joint assertion welcoming “the dedication of countries who’re partaking in preparatory planning” for securing the important thing oil route, and demanding Iran “stop instantly” its drone and missile assaults and different makes an attempt at blocking it.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated the conflict should finish earlier than his nation might help with issues similar to maintaining transport lanes clear.
“We will and can commit ourselves solely when the weapons fall silent,” he stated of potential German army assist to safe transport lanes within the Strait of Hormuz. “We will then do an important deal, as much as opening sea lanes and maintaining them clear, however we’re not doing it throughout ongoing fight operations.”
He stated that will require a global mandate, amongst different sophisticated steps, “earlier than we will even think about such a difficulty.”
Whereas the EU is not a celebration to the battle, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten stated he understood the U.S. and Israeli causes for launching the marketing campaign in opposition to the “brutal” Iranian authorities. He referred to as for the EU to extend each sanctions on Iran and assist for Iranian opposition teams
However others blasted the conflict as “unlawful” and destabilizing.
“We’re in opposition to this conflict as a result of it’s unlawful,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated: “It’s inflicting lots of harm to civilians, after all, refugees and the financial penalties that the entire world, particularly the worldwide south, is already struggling.”
Mr. Trump had talked about NATO assist for clearing the Strait of Hormuz however has not formally requested it, stated Evika Silina, Prime Minister of Latvia, one of many 23 out of the 27 EU nations which can be NATO members.
“When there might be some official requests, I believe we at all times have to guage these requests,” she stated.
The European Fee has informed leaders it has a mixture of monetary devices that member nations might deploy to decrease power costs, which might be up for dialogue. No single coverage will probably work to blunt the financial shocks from the conflict throughout the bloc’s myriad markets from Romania to Eire.
EU leaders are hoping their expertise weaning off of Russian power within the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and of increase the bloc’s army spending towards self-sufficiency will allow to them to do the identical for power independence.
Whereas some European capitals have referred to as for the suspension or scrapping of local weather insurance policies to stave off the worst of the current spike in power costs due to the conflict, others have argued that the EU’s long-term power technique ought to be home-grown sustainable power decoupled from susceptible fossil gasoline markets.
Leaders from Italy, Austria, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia requested Costa and European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen to gradual the rollout of the EU’s Emissions Buying and selling System. They stated it was “too steep and overly bold” in gentle of “fragility of immediately’s financial ecosystems” in a letter seen by The Related Press.
Printed – March 20, 2026 05:42 am IST