France, Germany and UK urge Iran to ‘negotiate solution’ after attack
As US-Israeli strikes widen into regional retaliation, European leaders rush to contain escalation while publicly separating themselves from military participation.
Feb 28, 2026
Sources
Summary
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issued a rare joint statement urging Iran to pursue a negotiated solution after US-Israeli strikes and Iran’s retaliatory attacks on US bases. European leaders and the EU positioned themselves as diplomatic intermediaries while explicitly distancing their governments from participation in the strikes. The practical consequence is a widening international scramble to contain escalation while regional states assert sovereignty and readiness to respond.
Reality Check
War conducted through fast-moving strikes and retaliations compresses decision-making into emergency channels that the public cannot meaningfully scrutinize. When allied governments coordinate closely while distancing themselves from operational responsibility, accountability becomes harder to trace and easier to evade. Normalizing this posture conditions our democracies to accept security policy by crisis management rather than transparent, durable consent.
Detail
<p>France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and the UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, released a joint statement urging Iran to seek a “negotiated solution” following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory attacks on US army bases in the region.</p><p>The leaders stated they did not participate in the strikes but said they were in close contact with partners including the United States, Israel, and regional governments. The statement condemned Tehran’s retaliatory attacks and called on Iran to refrain from “indiscriminate” strikes, while also urging that “the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future.”</p><p>The EU said it is exploring diplomatic paths with Arab nations and called on all parties to exercise restraint and respect international law. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was in close contact with regional diplomatic partners and that the EU’s Aspides naval mission in the Red Sea remained on high alert. Macron called for an urgent UN security council meeting. Starmer chaired a UK Cobra emergency committee meeting on Britain’s response.</p>