Ludovic Marin / EPA
Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz
Friedrich Merz was particularly harsh: Washington did not consult European partners and did not present a convincing plan.
It’s not just Spain. The main governments in Europe are refuse align with the appeal of Donald Trump for more direct military involvement against the Iran.
It is a new transatlantic fracture that exposes the growing distrust of US allies towards the White House’s strategy.
The agency highlights that the Governments of Germany, France, United Kingdom and Spain reject participate in the offensive or support, through military means, the protection of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz while the conflict continues.
The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz – which is often identified with cooperation in NATO – was particularly harsh.
In the Bundestag, the German parliament, he highlighted that the US did not consult European partners and did not present a convincing plan for the success of the operation.
Berlin considers that Iran should not pose a threat to neighboring countries, but distances itself from the logic of the war led by the United States and Israel.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius summarized the position with a concise phrase: “This is not our war.”
From France, Emmanuel Macron followed the same context: the French “are not party to the conflict”.
O United Kingdom Try to remain cautious for now. But public opinion is also against involvement in the conflict in Iran: a YouGov poll shows that 49% of Britons oppose the attacks and just 28% are in favor.
In Spain, 68% of respondents reject war, according to 40db. In Germany, an ARD survey points to 58% opposition.
To be internal environment tem conditioning the speeches of heads of state and even led sectors of the right and extreme right to moderate their initial positions of support for Washington.
At the same time, Europeans are seeking to respond to the crisis on their own terms. The UK works with allies on a solution to reopen the Strait of Hormuz; France is trying to articulate an international coalition to guarantee maritime security when the situation stabilizes, without a central role for the United States and with space for diplomatic contacts with Tehran. The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, summarized the new stance: remain calm, accept Trump’s unpredictability and remain focused.
Em Portugal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel on Monday any military involvement in the Middle East, including in the Strait of Hormuz, and highlighted that this position is shared by the majority of European Union Member States: “Portugal is not, nor will it be, involved in this conflict”.
