Europeans scramble to digest major US and Israeli attack on Iran

Germany is holding an emergency meeting to discuss the situation and the European Union is evacuating some staff from the region.

The US and Israel launched a major attack on targets across Iran and US President Donald 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.

It was unclear whether US allies were given any advance warning of the attacks. The German government said it was only given notice of the attacks on Saturday morning. France’s junior defence minister said Paris knew something would happen but did not know when.

The European Union’s top diplomat called the conflict in the Middle East “perilous” and said she was working with Israeli and Arab officials to pursue a negotiated peace.

“Iran’s regime has killed thousands. Its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes, along with support for terror groups, pose a serious threat to global security,” said Kaja Kallas, foreign policy chief of the 27-nation bloc, in a post on social media.

“The EU is also coordinating closely with Arab partners to explore diplomatic paths.”

She said the EU was evacuating some staff in the region while keeping in place a maritime mission in the Red Sea. The EU recently put fresh sanctions on Iran and leading figures, which prompted retaliatory sanctions by Tehran.

The German government said it was monitoring the situation in Iran, Israel and the wider Middle East region after being informed about the Israeli strikes on Saturday morning. The German government’s crisis management team is scheduled to meet.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz was already consulting ministers in charge of security and European partners.

The German government urged its citizens in Iran, Israel and the wider region to sign up on the official registration system for citizens abroad and follow the instructions of the local authorities regarding measures for their own protection.

France, whose military has bases and a regular presence in the Middle East, called on French citizens in the region to exercise extreme caution.

“A military escalation is under way. It’s not the time for negotiations, we are in a situation of war,” junior defence minister Alice Rufo told France-2 television on Saturday, comparing the situation to what happened last June.

“Our priority is the protection of our citizens and protection of our forces in the region,” she said.

Asked if French forces were involved in the US and Israeli strikes or targeted in retaliatory strikes, French military spokesperson Colonel Guillaume Vernet said: “The French armed forces continuously adapt their posture to threats and implement measures to ensure the surveillance and protection of military installations where French soldiers are deployed.

“Our military presence guarantees France’s independent assessment of the situation.”

Italy’s government urged Italians to exercise the utmost caution and follow instructions provided by its embassies in the region. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said she would be in contact with the region’s allies and leaders in the next few hours to “support any initiative that may lead to a de-escalation of tensions”.

“Italy reiterates its support to the Iranian civilian population, who courageously continue to demand respect for their civil and political rights,” Ms Meloni’s office said.

Switzerland called for full respect of international law and urged “all parties to exercise maximum restraint, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure”.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the US-Israeli strikes as “a pre-planned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent UN member state”, demanding an immediate halt to the military campaign and a return to diplomacy.

In a statement, the ministry accused Washington and Tel Aviv of “hiding behind” concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme while pursuing regime change.