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European leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday called for de-escalation after a series of Iranian attacks on Gulf states' energy facilities in retaliation for an Israeli strike on Iran's South Pars gasfield.
"Iran's attacks on Qatar energy infrastructure create further chaos, and it's clear that we need an exit from this war, not escalation," the EU's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said as she arrived at the summit.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said: "We need to put focus on de-escalating the war at the moment."
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed US President Donald Trump's calls for calm. "I am expressly grateful that the US President sent a signal in this regard last night that he is prepared to bring the fighting to an end," Mr Merz said.
In an overnight message on Truth Social, Mr Trump said Israel would not target Iran's gasfield again unless it "unwisely decides to attack" another state in the region.
Energy prices
Iran had responded by targeting an energy complex in Qatar that contains the world's biggest liquefied natural gas processing facility. A drone also hit Saudi Aramco's Samref refinery in the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Aerial attacks forced the UAE to shut its Habshan gas facility and set off fires at Kuwait's Mina Al Ahmadi and Abdullah Port oil refineries.
Europeans do not want to be drawn into the conflict. But they have been concerned by its escalation and its impact on energy prices as Iran has drastically cut the number of ships allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Italy on Wednesday cut excise duties on fuels as part of measures to help families and businesses cope with higher energy costs.
Now, many fear that prices will spiral out of control if production facilities in the Gulf are hit. Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever said he was "very worried about the energy crisis" and that "prices were too high" even before the start of the war. "This war has created another spike in the prices, and if that becomes structural, we are in deep trouble," Mr de Wever said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he feared the war would have "a more lasting impact" on energy prices if "production capacities themselves are destroyed".
Mr Macron, who spoke overnight to Mr Trump and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim, is pushing for a moratorium on energy attacks in the Gulf ahead of Eid celebrations.
"As the region enters a period of religious holidays, I think everyone should calm down and the fighting should stop for a few days to try to give negotiations another chance," Mr Macron said.
"I hope it works out. It doesn't depend on us," he said, without giving details about talks with Iran.
Not Europe's war
Europeans have also resisted calls made by Mr Trump to US allies to send frigates to re-open the Hormuz Strait, through which roughly one fifth of the world's oil normally transits. Behind closed doors, European diplomats have emphasised that this has no link with souring US-Europe relations under Mr Trump, which recently worsened over Greenland and trade tariffs.
"None of the European countries have been involved, and we don't want to get drawn into a conflict that we have not been consulted about," said Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden. "We want to have safe passage for the ships that are in the Strait of Hormuz, but we should be very careful not to be drawn into a conflict that might escalate."
France is exploring options to reopen the strait but will only support escorts for commercial ships as part of an international coalition after a ceasefire is struck and "within an appropriate non-conflictual international framework", Mr Macron said.
European states are broadly hostile towards Iran, after playing a mediator role in the 2015 deal on the country's nuclear programme, from which the US withdrew three years later. Citing the role played by the E3 – Britain, France and Germany – in those talks, an EU diplomat said before the leaders' meeting that it “would seem very logical” that “the EU be maximally involved” if those negotiations pick up again.
