EU hypocritical in backing Israeli aggression, condemning Iran: RS
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The EU leaders' condemnation of Iran exposes the collapse of Europe's credibility and international norms.
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The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian retaliatory attack over Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, Sunday, June 15, 2025 (AP)
In a stark illustration of Europe’s diplomatic decay, EU leaders have once again revealed their double standards, this time by condemning Iran for responding to attacks on its own territory while endorsing an unprovoked Israeli strike that killed civilians, military commanders, and nuclear scientists.
As Responsible Statecraft columnist Eldar Mamedov argues, this moment exposes the rotting core of what remains of the so-called "rules-based international order."
Rather than denounce "Israel’s" clear violation of Iranian sovereignty, European leaders instead applauded the aggression. Iran’s retaliation, in turn, was condemned with remarkable speed, often before it had even begun, with many calling for de-escalation after "Israel" conducted its strikes.
Read more: Western hypocrisy: 'Israel' bombs Iran, Tehran told not to retaliate
The EU’s response, as Mamedov notes in Responsible Statecraft, is not rooted in ignorance but in a long-standing pattern of diplomatic malpractice.
French President Emmanuel Macron quickly condemned Iran’s “ongoing nuclear program” and reaffirmed “Israel’s right to defend itself.” Ursula von der Leyen relayed a similar message nearly word-for-word, with added platitudes about “restraint.”
Germany went even further: its foreign ministry “strongly condemned” Iran for an “indiscriminate attack” on Israeli territory, before any missiles had even been fired.
In Responsible Statecraft, Mamedov highlights that such rhetoric reframes aggression as "self-defense" and reveals the EU’s role not as a neutral arbiter but active enabler of regional destabilization. This isn’t simply about diplomatic failure; it’s about an ideology of impunity granted to favored allies.
Two prominent international voices pushed back against this narrative. Mohamed ElBaradei, former IAEA chief, reminded Germany that targeting nuclear sites in peacetime violates the Geneva Conventions.
“Use of force is generally prohibited in the UN Charter,” he emphasized, unless under armed attack or UN Security Council authorization.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, stated, “On the day Israel, unprovoked, has attacked Iran, the president of a major European power, finally admits that in the Middle East, Israel, and only Israel, has the right to defend itself.”
As cited in Responsible Statecraft, these interventions show the degree to which Europe’s legal credibility has collapsed on the global stage.
JCPOA abandonment fueled today’s escalation
Europe’s role in the current crisis didn’t begin with this week’s violence. As Mamedov explains in Responsible Statecraft, the E3’s failure to uphold the JCPOA after the US withdrawal in 2018 laid the groundwork for Iran’s deepening distrust.
Though the EU offered rhetorical support, it failed to shield firms from US sanctions, letting the deal die in practice.
Instead of facilitating diplomacy, the EU torpedoed it. Just days before "Israel’s" strike, it supported an IAEA resolution censuring Iran, further escalating tensions and making diplomatic offramps less likely.
The Global South has long viewed the EU’s “rules-based order” with suspicion, but Iran’s leadership now sees it as actively hostile.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s rejection of UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s call for de-escalation was not mere posturing. As Mamedov writes in Responsible Statecraft, Tehran now regards Europe as a party to the conflict, not a broker of peace.
Iran’s potential withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is no longer theoretical. Hardliners, and moderates alike, now see weaponization as a rational response to Western betrayal.
Blowback for Europe is already underway
The costs for Europe will be real. Mamedov warns that further conflict in the region could unleash a new wave of uncontrolled migration, energy shocks if Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, and even terrorist blowback against European interests.
As noted in Responsible Statecraft, Europe’s decisions are not only morally compromised, they are strategically self-destructive.
Absent a drastic course correction, beginning with accountability for Israeli aggression, Europe risks finalizing its descent into irrelevance. When it exempts allies from the rules it imposes on adversaries, it does not preserve peace. It signs its own geopolitical suicide note.
