British, German and French foreign ministers plan meeting with Iranian counterpart
GuardianJUN 20
FMs of France, UK, Germany to Meet Iranian Counterpart
Above: Foreign ministers of Germany, the U.K., and France on May 9, 2025, in Lviv, Ukraine. Image copyright: Eduard Kryzhanivskyi/Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Europe narrative
The Israel-Iran conflict risks igniting wider regional chaos. Europe, in partnership with regional partners such as the Gulf Cooperation Council, must urgently lead a diplomatic initiative. Military escalation only deepens instability, and lasting peace requires political solutions. With strong ties across divides, Europe and the GCC must act now to prevent catastrophe and chart a path to regional security.
Pro-Israel narrative
Europe's faith in diplomacy gave us a failing Iran deal and a nuclear-armed theocracy on the brink. Europe ignored Israel's warnings then, and they're sleepwalking again now. For Israel, the threat is existential, and strikes are a necessary preemptive move to protect its people. Europe's diplomacy has delayed, not deterred, Iran's path to the bomb.
Pro-Iran narrative
Europe's silence on Israel's illegal aggression is complicity. By failing to hold Israel accountable, it aids Western-led intervention that has long destabilized the Middle East. Iran's push for sovereignty and peace is met with bombs, not dialogue. Merely a serf for American interests, Europe's words fall short of meaningful action to deliver peace and security.