After Iran Retaliates, Euro Chiefs Demand New US Negotiations

Britain, France, and Germany on Saturday called for a resumption of US-Iran negotiations and condemned Iranian attacks on countries in the region. They didn't comment on earlier US and Israeli attacks on Iran, per the AP. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said their nations didn't take part in the strikes on Iran but are in close contact with the US, Israel, and regional partners. The three countries have led efforts to reach a negotiated solution for Iran's nuclear program.

"We condemn Iranian attacks on countries in the region in the strongest terms," the leaders said in a statement. "Iran must refrain from indiscriminate military strikes. We call for a resumption of negotiations and urge the Iranian leadership to seek a negotiated solution. Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future." European leaders are holding emergency security meetings and scrambling to protect their citizens in the Middle East after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday that triggered global concerns of escalation into a broader conflict.

Macron called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting in response to the US and Israeli strikes in Iran. The responses come after the US and Israel launched a major attack on targets across Iran, and US President Trump called on the Iranian people to "take over your government"—an extraordinary appeal that suggested they could be seeking to end the country's theocracy after decades of tensions. The strikes by the US create a dilemma for its democratic allies. While European leaders firmly oppose Iran's nuclear program and crackdowns by its hard-line theocracy, they're loath to embrace unilateral military action by Trump that could breach international law and unleash a broader conflict.

Trump's strikes on Iran last June, and the arrest of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro last month, caused a similar quandary. It was unclear whether US allies were given any advance warning of the attacks. The German government said it was only given notice on Saturday morning. France's junior defense minister said France knew something would happen, but didn't know when. More here.