EU and Six Gulf Countries Urge Iran to Halt Indiscriminate Attacks, Call for Diplomatic Solution

"Resolving the Crisis Through Dialogue and Diplomacy"

After the United States and Israel conducted airstrikes followed by retaliatory attacks from Iran, the European Union (EU) and the six Gulf countries urged Iran to halt its indiscriminate attacks on neighboring countries.

Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

On March 5 (local time), the EU issued a joint statement after a virtual meeting with the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which consists of six countries on the Arabian Peninsula: the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait.

In the statement, they declared, "We strongly condemn Iran's unjustifiable attacks against GCC countries, which threaten regional stability and global security," adding, "GCC countries have the right to take all necessary measures to defend themselves from Iran's attacks, and the crisis should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy."

They also agreed to "jointly pursue diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and, ultimately, to establish a sustainable solution that enables the Iranian people to determine their own future."

Since the airstrikes by the United States and Israel began on February 28, Iran has launched retaliatory attacks, using drones and missiles to repeatedly strike airports, oil refineries, and other infrastructure in neighboring Gulf countries.

Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who chaired the meeting, said, "The EU is working on ways to help Gulf countries defend against Iran's drone attacks, but the supply of related equipment may be limited." She added, "With demand increasing in both Ukraine and the Middle East, the production of drone interception equipment is not keeping pace with demand, so Europe needs to accelerate its production speed."

The Middle East crisis has emerged as a direct variable for EU security after a drone attack on a British base in Cyprus. Following the attack on Cyprus, which holds the presidency for the first half of the year, the United Kingdom, France, and Greece responded by urgently deploying air defense systems and warships. As a result, military tensions in the Middle East have entered a new phase, spreading beyond the Mediterranean to the entire European region.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.