Amidst rising tensions following the US-Israel military operations against the Iranian regime, EU leaders have been in contact with partners, acting to bring back peace and stability to the region and minimising the impact on security and energy.
President von der Leyen strongly condemned the Iranian regime, as well as expressed full solidarity with Iranian people, as well as the other countries in the region, in both her speech at the 2026 EU Ambassadors Conference and the one she gave at the European Parliament plenary debate in preparation of the upcoming European Council. She also reiterated full solidarity with Cyprus.
On March 9, President von der Leyen, together with President Costa had a VTC with Leaders of Middle East countries. They once again condemned the indiscriminate attacks by Iran in the strongest terms as well as reiterated the EU's commitment to partnership, security and prosperity in the region. The Presidents also called for the protection of civilians and full respect for international law, international humanitarian law and the obligation to abide by the principles of the United Nations Charter.
During that call, the two Presidents thanked the Leaders of the region for their assistance and support in repatriating tens of thousands of European citizens from the region. Since the war has erupted, more than 11,000 citizens have been brought home thanks to close to 90 flights coordinated by the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre. Additionally, the Commission has mobilised its own rescEU transport and logistic capacities for the first time and chartered directly five flights. The same week, President von der Leyen also had a call with President Aoun of Lebanon, where she expressed the EU's solidarity with Lebanon and its people: The EU has already delivered 40 tons of humanitarian supplies and is providing €100 million in humanitarian support to Lebanon.
Additionally, the EU is working on securing maritime routes in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea; indeed, security of the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf region is a shared strategic priority. Two EU naval operations, ATALANTA and ASPIDES, are already in place to continue delivering their protection tasks and monitor the situation closely. As the situation evolves in the region, the EU will continue assessing how to help restore freedom of navigation and maritime security through the region, also through the naval operations.
President von der Leyen has also been actively monitoring the impact of the regional conflict on energy. She took part in a G7 call on March 11 where discussions amongst partners focused on minimising the impact of the concerning situation in Iran and the Middle Est on security and the global energy market. Presidents von der Leyen and Costa recalled that the immediate priority is to keep energy flow moving. When addressing EU lawmakers in the EP Plenary on the same day, President von der Leyen also stressed that we must comprehensively look at how we can reduce people's energy bills, adding that the Commission is "preparing different options: better use of Purchase Power Agreements and contracts for difference; state aid measures; exploring subsidising or capping the gas price". To that end, the President was very clear that there is no way for the EU to pull back sanctions on Russia: "Yet in the current crisis, some argue that we should abandon our long-term strategy and even go back to Russian fossil fuels. This would be a strategic blunder. It would make us more dependent, more vulnerable and weaker. So, we should stay the course on our long-term strategy."
