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European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas has stated that the rising military tensions in the Middle East are creating severe roadblocks for global diplomatic initiatives.
In a post on X, the top diplomat raised alarms over the direct impact of the confrontation on regional peace, pointing out that "exchanges of fire between the United States and Iran had further complicated already fraught efforts to end the war", adding that Iran's attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait are "unacceptable". https://x.com/kajakallas/status/2074765944950333810?s=20 The EU foreign policy chief reminded Tehran of its prior diplomatic obligations to maintain open maritime corridors. In her social media statement, she noted, "Under the memorandum, Tehran committed to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Its recent attacks on ships near the Strait violate that commitment and threaten to disrupt the resumption of energy supplies. Freedom of navigation must be unimpeded." To counter the growing threat to international trade routes, Kallas announced an upcoming high-level diplomatic mobilisation aimed at reinforcing maritime security. "Next Monday, EU foreign ministers will meet with their Gulf counterparts to discuss how we can work together to support the implementation of the agreement and preserve freedom of navigation in the Strait as well as the Red Sea," she added. This urgent European diplomatic push comes on the heels of a total collapse in bilateral communication between Washington and Tehran. US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the ceasefire agreement with Iran has effectively concluded for him, declaring that he no longer wishes to engage in diplomatic dealings with Tehran. Speaking to journalists at the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump categorically stated that the peace process was over and he would not deal with Iran any longer. "To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum... They're led by sick people... I'll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate--they're good people... but they have to come back to me. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them," he said. The US President went on to label Iranians as "liars, cheats and sick people", while confirming that American forces had targeted "very dangerous people" within Iran during the night. Expanding on the decision to launch the midnight assault, Trump stated, "They're liars, they're cheats, they're sick people. They've hurt their people. They killed 54,000 people -- as of now -- who were protesting. You know, when people say how come they haven't taken over? They can't take over because they're dead." "We attacked very powerfully last night, the very dangerous people from Iran... There's something wrong with them. We say, 'Go and do your funeral stuff,' and instead of that, they start shooting rockets at ships yesterday. So we hit them very hard last night," he added. Earlier, amid these spiralling regional tensions, Iran's top negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf strongly hit back at Washington, detailing numerous breaches of bilateral agreements by the United States. In a post on X, the senior Iranian official enumerated several "major violations" of the MoU committed by the US administration, indicating a severe breakdown in diplomatic commitments between the two countries. According to the Parliament Speaker, these American actions include "violating Iranian adjustments in the Strait", "persistent threats of further strikes", "reinstating oil sanctions", "attacks on southern Iran", and "continued Zionist aggression" in Lebanon. Issuing a firm warning against Washington's hardline approach and asserting Tehran's refusal to back down under intense military and economic pressure, Ghalibaf concluded his statement on a defiant note. "The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere," he wrote on X. "We don't fold." This fierce rhetorical retaliation from Tehran comes in direct response to the dramatic escalation of hostilities, which originally ignited after three vessels were struck while navigating the strategic Strait of Hormuz, an act Washington attributes directly to the Iranian armed forces. In retaliation for those shipping disruptions, the United States launched extensive military operations against Iranian targets. According to an official communication from the US Central Command, the "powerful" strikes were deployed as a direct countermeasure to Iranian operations against international shipping lanes and were explicitly designed to "impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping." (ANI)
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