BRUSSELS: European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen called on Monday for urgent de-escalation to prevent the US-Israeli conflict with Iran from "spreading" across the Middle East. The EU chief slammed "reckless and indiscriminate attacks by Iran and its proxies against sovereign territories across the region," after strikes hit a British air base in Cyprus and a Saudi oil facility. "We must work hard to de-escalate and stop the conflict spreading," she told reporters in Brussels, warning "the stability of the region is of the utmost importance."
"The situation remains volatile," said von der Leyen, who consulted with nine Middle Eastern leaders over the weekend and was to chair a crisis meeting of the EU's college of commissioners on Monday.
While the developments were "deeply concerning," von der Leyen reiterated that the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spelled "renewed hope for the oppressed people of Iran."
"We strongly support their right to determine their own future," she said, calling for a "credible transition", the halt to Iran's nuclear and ballistic programmes and "an end to destabilising activities." Von der Leyen stressed earlier on Monday the EU was solidly behind its member states after an Iranian drone crashed into a British base on Cyprus. "While the Republic of Cyprus was not the target, let me be clear: we stand collectively, firmly and unequivocally with our Member States in the face of any threat," she wrote on X. — AFP
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