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EU chief and Italian foreign minister call for restraint after Iran attack
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attends a press conference at Lappeenranta Airport in eastern Finland on April 19. (Credit: Antti Aimo-Koivisto/Lehtikuva/Reuters)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani have called for restraint after the attack on Iran.
Israel carried out Friday’s attack, a US official told CNN. The Israeli military has not commented, and Iran has not identified the origin of the attack.
Tajani told reporters on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers’ summit in Italy that “diplomatic efforts” were already underway by the EU and G7 members to calm tensions in the region following the attack.
Reiterating Italy’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza, he said, “We ask everyone to exercise caution to avoid escalating tensions in the region.”
EU chief von der Leyen also called for de-escalation, saying it was “certainly necessary” for the Middle East to remain “stable”, and urged all sides to “refrain from further action”.
“We have to do everything possible to ensure that all parties avoid escalating tensions in that region,” von der Leyen stressed during a visit to Finland on Friday.