European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas speaking to Rudaw in Brussels on June 23, 2025. Photo: Rudaw
BRUSSELS - European leaders on Sunday called for renewed nuclear talks between the United States and Iran after American strikes targeted Iranian nuclear sites, warning that further escalation could threaten global stability.
“If the nuclear program is something that everybody agrees Iran should not have - a nuclear weapon - we have to work towards that,” European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas told Rudaw.
Kallas referred to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a 2015 agreement between Iran and the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany, designed to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The deal included a “snapback mechanism” to reimpose sanctions if Iran was found in violation, which Kallas said could be implemented if “there is no improvement” in Tehran’s nuclear program.
The accord collapsed after the United States withdrew in 2018 under President Donald Trump, leading Iran to ramp up uranium enrichment.
“Iran’s economy is not doing well; this is not good for the Iranian people,” Kallas said.
Despite international sanctions, Tehran has avoided economic collapse through a so-called “resistance economy,” promoting domestic production, curbing imports, and expanding trade with partners such as China. Still, inflation and hardship remain widespread.
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani called for a diplomatic solution, saying, “We need to strengthen dialogue. We have proposed to organize a meeting between the United States and Iran in Rome.”
In response to the US strikes, Iran’s Press TV reported that parliament voted on a proposal to block the Strait of Hormuz. Lawmaker Esmaeil Kowsari said the final decision rests with the Supreme National Security Council.
Tajani warned that shutting the strait “would be a mistake,” calling it “very dangerous for the Iranian economy... and a large part of the economies of the world.”
About 20 percent of global oil and large volumes of liquefied natural gas pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Any disruption would likely send energy prices soaring and affect supply chains from the Middle East to Europe and Asia. Analysts say Iran would also suffer, risking ties with key partners like China and provoking direct confrontation with the United States and its allies.
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