While most European leaders welcomed the ceasefire reached between the US and Iran on Tuesday night, some condemned a war they said should never have happened in the first place.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused US President Donald Trump of setting the “world on fire” and called for a return to diplomacy and international law.
Speaking at Saudi Arabia's Al Taif airbase on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there was a “sense of real relief” at the ceasefire, but that it was “still early days” with a lot of work still to be done to secure a lasting peace and restore oil and gas supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the ceasefire but called for it to be extended to Lebanon and Hezbollah. He added that he would raise the issue when he meets Pope Leo XIV on Thursday.
Mr Sanchez, who leads the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, has been Europe's most vocal critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran and a supporter of the Palestinian cause.
“The government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket,” Mr Sanchez wrote on social media on Wednesday.
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Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets air crew members during a visit to Taif Airbase in Saudi Arabia. Getty Images -
Mr Starmer will also visit Bahrain and the UAE. Getty Images -
Mr Starmer flew to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as part of a three-day trip to the Gulf. Getty Images -
A view of Taif Airbase during Mr Starmer's visit. Getty Images -
Mr Starmer leaves after a visit to Taif Airbase. Getty Images
“What’s needed now: diplomacy, international legality and peace.”
Even critics of Tehran in Europe are hoping to see the US and Iran secure a permanent end to the hostilities.
Mr Macron also declared on Wednesday that the ceasefire was a positive step.
“We are waiting for the coming days and weeks for the ceasefire to be respected across the region, and that it will allow us to deal with questions about Iran’s nuclear and ballistics programmes in a sustainable way,” Mr Macron told his Defence and National Security Council.
“It is through negotiations that we will be able to obtain security guarantees that are needed for the region.”
Mr Starmer flew to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as part of a three-day trip to the Gulf to meet regional leaders and visit UK airbases that were used to protect the country's allies during the war.
During his visit, he also met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Prime Minister's trip will later take him to Bahrain and the UAE.
Mr Starmer said he wanted to ensure the strait was reopened to minimise the economic effects of the war. “This ceasefire should be not a temporary ceasefire, but a permanent ceasefire,” he said.
“On top of that, we have to acknowledge that this war was not our war, but my job is to protect the UK”
Mr Starmer’s refusal to let the US have free rein on the use of British bases to launch strikes on Iran has severely strained his relationship with Mr Trump.
Earlier on Wednesday, the British leader described the truce as a “moment of relief to the region and the world”, and urged allies to work together.
“Together with our partners, we must do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire, turn it into a lasting agreement and reopen the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
Mr Starmer will also hold talks on the need to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open permanently, with London keen to lead international efforts to protect shipping in the region, his office said.
The EU’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas is scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to discuss the conflict with regional officials, including Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and GCC Secretary General Jasem Al Budaiwi.
“The Gulf is caught in a conflict it did not choose. Iran has launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at its neighbours over the past weeks. With her counterparts, [Ms Kallas] will discuss ways to end the fighting and potential diplomatic off-ramps. Diplomacy works better face-to-face,” an EU official told The National.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was in “close co-ordination” with allies to ensure they negotiate a “lasting end to the war”. He thanked Pakistan for its mediation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the truce as bringing “much-needed de-escalation”.
“I thank Pakistan for its mediation. Now it is crucial that negotiations for an enduring solution to this conflict continue. We will continue co-ordinating with our partners to this end,” she wrote on social media on Wednesday.
EU leaders, alongside those of Japan and Canada, signed a statement welcoming the truce and calling for a negotiated settlement. A long-term peace, they said, is “crucial to protect the civilian population of Iran and ensure security in the region”, and to avert a severe global energy crisis.
