EU emphasizes diplomacy as key to avoiding wider Israel-Iran conflict

The European Union has called on both Israel and Iran to exercise restraint and prevent further escalation of the ongoing conflict.

Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, emphasized the urgent need for dialogue and de-escalation in a statement shared on her social media platform X, Caliber.Az reports.

The situation in the Middle East is dangerous.

I urge all parties to exercise restraint and prevent further escalation.

Diplomacy remains the best path forward, and I stand ready to support any diplomatic efforts toward de-escalation.

— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) June 13, 2025

"The situation in the Middle East is dangerous. I urge all parties to exercise restraint and prevent further escalation. Diplomacy remains the best path forward, and I stand ready to support any diplomatic efforts toward de-escalation,” the post by Kallas reads.

To recall, in the early hours of June 13, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initiated a large-scale military operation codenamed Rising Lion, during which the Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducted multiple waves of precision airstrikes across Iranian territory. The operation focused on military installations and components of Iran’s nuclear program.

According to initial reports, targets included key strategic sites in Tehran, where several high-ranking Iranian military officials were killed.

The attacks also resulted in the deaths of key Iranian military and scientific leaders. Among the casualties was Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was also killed, a loss that the IRGC officially confirmed.

Additionally, Ali Shamkhani, Iran’s former national security chief, was reported dead, along with several other high-ranking military officers and nuclear scientists.

The strikes also impacted areas surrounding the Natanz nuclear facility and Iranian military deployments in the country’s northwest. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) later confirmed that neither the Natanz site nor the Fordow fuel enrichment plant sustained damage as a result of the attacks.

In response, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed the nation, condemning the Israeli assault as a grave crime and warning that a “bitter and terrible fate” awaits Israel.

By Vafa Guliyeva