Europe Hesitates To Condemn Iran, While U.S. Stands by Israel

The upcoming G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, could add a new layer of friction between the United States and Europe. In contrast to President Donald Trump’s unwavering support for Israel in the war, Europe’s largest countries have issued watered-down condemnations of war in general and encouraged both sides to de-escalate.

Condemning Iran’s attacks on Israeli cities, ending its nuclear program, and ending the clerical regime in Tehran should be unifying issues for the summit. Instead, disagreements on all of these fronts could widen the existing fissures between Europe and the United States.

European Leaders Cite Fears of Escalation

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who will host the summit, set the agenda before Israel launched its targeted military campaign against the clerical regime in Tehran, Operation Rising Lion. The formal docket will exclude the Iran-Israel war in favor of tariffs, energy security, support for Ukraine, and Russia sanctions. Since this summit will not have a joint communique, there will be no chance for the G7 as a whole to at least condemn Iran’s missile attacks on Israeli civilians.

Even so, it will be difficult for leaders to ignore the war. European leaders are likely to push for an end to the fighting in principle, but they will arrive at the gathering without a clearly developed plan to do so.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for example, affirmed Israel’s right to self-defense and his “grave concerns about Iran’s nuclear program” on a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, he also stressed how the United Kingdom believes that “Escalation serves no one in the region.” Berlin, Brussels, and Paris issued similar statements in lockstep. 

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk took a different tack: highlighting Europe’s fears of a global war. The current clashes “may destabilize the whole world. Since WWII we haven’t been so close to a global conflict. Europe and the U.S. must unite their efforts to stop further escalation. It is still not too late,” Tusk said.

Meanwhile, Trump will arrive at the G7 with political winds at his back on his handling of the crisis. Two polls conducted prior to the start of Operation Rising Lion indicated that between 45 and 57 percent of Americans, respectively, said they would approve of Israeli military action against Iran’s nuclear program. Trump has since encouraged Tehran to “make a deal before there is nothing left,” aiming to provide Iran with an off-ramp without undercutting Israel.

Europeans More Concerned About Oil Prices Than a Nuclear Iran

Two factors are driving Europe’s lack of full-throated support for Israel: economics and a temptation to kick the nuclear can down the road.

Oil prices jumped 8 percent when the bombing began. They are likely to continue rising as Israel expands its targeting of Iran’s energy infrastructure. Every percentage point increase in the price of a barrel risks tipping the EU-wide economy into stagflation.

Second, the prospect of a nuclearized clerical regime in Iran does not pose an existential threat to Europe. It does for Israel, as Netanyahu has asserted. At the G7 Summit, the European delegation is likely to push Trump to take a different, less supportive, approach to Israel in practice.

Instead of ‘feeding the crocodile’ of Iran and hoping it will eat them last, G7 members should do the opposite in Kananaskis: stand firm with the United States and Israel against the clerics in Tehran.

Peter Doran is an adjunct senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy. For more analysis from Peter and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Peter on X @PeterBDoran. Follow FDD on X @FDD.