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Europe Today: EU foreign ministers gather in Brussels as Iran war enters third week
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00:14Good morning, it is Monday the 16th of March. I'm Maeve McMahan and this is Europe Today.
00:20Your daily dose of European news and analysis live here on Euronews.
00:25Coming up, EU Foreign Affairs Ministers are gathering in Brussels for crucial talks ahead of this week's March EU Summit.
00:32On their desks, the fallout from the US-Israeli war against Iran and continued military support for Ukraine.
00:39With the atmosphere in Brussels shifting fundamentally because of the conflict with Iran,
00:44EU leaders will also be looking at the looming energy crisis and how to come up with immediate solutions.
00:49This, as Israel says, it's continuing a wide-scale campaign in Iran to wipe out regime infrastructure.
00:56While the IDF says it's also detected missiles fired from Iranian territory.
01:01Meanwhile, President Trump says he's hearing reports that Iran's new supreme leader is dead,
01:06but Teichan insists Mustafa Kemenei is in good health.
01:10In an attempt to dial down the rhetoric, Pope Leo has called for an immediate ceasefire,
01:15condemning what he described as, quote,
01:17atrocious violence that has claimed thousands of civilian lives and spread suffering and chaos across the Middle East.
01:24For more on the very fluid situation, I'm joined here in the studio by Euronews' EU editor,
01:29who's across all the developments for us.
01:31Good morning, Maria.
01:31Good morning.
01:32So look, Foreign Minister's meeting today in Brussels. What should we expect?
01:35Yes, Maven, it is a meeting that is about to start.
01:38It is led by the top European diplomat, Kaya Callas, and the focus is very much on the Strait of
01:44Hormuz.
01:45Obviously, one-fifth of all oil in the world is transported through that waterway,
01:50and it has been effectively shut off as a result of the war in Iran.
01:55This has major repercussions for the global economy and obviously has major repercussions for the global energy market.
02:01We have seen oil prices really soar above $100 a barrel.
02:05There's even speculation in this market that you could easily get to $150, maybe even $200 if the conflict continues
02:12unchecked.
02:13Obviously, the focus for the Europeans today is to see on their practicalities.
02:19Can they help reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
02:22That is something the United States would love to see allies do.
02:25What I'm being told by sources this morning is that the meeting today will really be about capabilities.
02:31Try to figure out how many ships could get put together.
02:34When you look at the big navies in Europe, ultimately you look at the French, the Italians, the Greeks, the
02:40Spanish.
02:41But I struggle to see how the Spanish would join in an effort that is seen as catering to President
02:46Trump.
02:46Obviously, they've clashed big time on the war, so the focus is on the capabilities and effort put together by
02:53the EU.
02:53Maybe not so much on a bilateral basis, but I'm also being told very clearly by sources today,
02:59do not expect a headline by the end of the day saying the Europeans are joining in this great grand
03:05Navy mission at their request to President Trump immediately.
03:08It's far more complicated than that.
03:10And of course, we'll be hearing from the Romanian foreign minister a little bit later on the program.
03:13But just, Maria, President Donald Trump has warned NATO allies if they do not help him reopen that Strait, they
03:19could face, quote, very, very bad futures.
03:21Well, certainly. And look, for the U.S. president at this point, there is, well, a question on the politics.
03:27This is now a war that is not turning out to be Venezuela.
03:30The Iranian regime is very much doubling down on the hard line.
03:34And then, of course, there's the energy question.
03:36And to ease the prices, he needs the Strait of Hormuz to reopen.
03:40Over the weekend, he told allies that they need to help, they need to send ships.
03:44He also told the Financial Times overnight if allies do not respond or they respond negatively, there will be a
03:51bad future for NATO.
03:53But, of course, all of this coming together.
03:55This is a president that has also called his allies weak and decaying.
03:58He opened up a trade probe last week on the Europeans.
04:01And let's also remember the Europeans were not briefed on the operation ahead of time.
04:05They also say they need to know more what is the goal, what is the timeline and what is the
04:10victory for the U.S. look like.
04:11Indeed. And that is the context that foreign ministers are meeting in today.
04:14And, of course, EU leaders later this week.
04:15Maria Tadeo, thank you so much for that.
04:17And as you heard, the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important shipping channels,
04:21has been closed down for days due to the ongoing war.
04:24This has led to a surge in energy prices and inflation fears all across the globe.
04:28Iran has targeted a number of ships and reportedly started to lay mines in the Strait, closing it to marine
04:34traffic.
04:35For more on the situation, we can cross now to the Strait of Hormuz and bring in AP correspondent Philip
04:40Crowther.
04:41Good morning, Philip. Thank you so much for joining us here on the programme.
04:45So, as you heard there, President Donald Trump is pressuring other countries to help reopen the Strait.
04:50But is anyone prepared to actually wade into those dangerous waters we can see behind you?
04:54Yeah, we're not quite there yet, are we?
04:56Because after that call for essentially an international coalition of warships to reopen the Strait of Hormuz,
05:04my colleagues called around all the capitals of the countries that were mentioned by Donald Trump in his social media
05:10post,
05:10and there are no promises forthcoming right now from them.
05:14What he wants is this international coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as quickly as possible with the United
05:19States,
05:20though very much as its leading force.
05:22Now, there's a reason why this is particularly difficult right now.
05:26Obviously, the war is ongoing, but there are those Iranian threats toward any ships, be they tankers or others.
05:34If they attempt to go through the Strait of Hormuz and they are in any way affiliated with the United
05:40States and its allies,
05:42then they will be attacked.
05:44And the threat is so serious that we haven't seen almost any crossings over the last 72 hours or so
05:51of any ships.
05:53It is just deemed too risky by the oil companies, by the transport companies, by the insurance companies also,
05:59whose rates have been skyrocketing.
06:02So there has been no movement.
06:03It's been days now that we have been observing these waters you can see behind me,
06:06and you might just be able to make out one or two ships that are idling here.
06:10There have also, importantly, not been any attacks over the last 72 hours.
06:16Now, there's a reason for that.
06:17It's that none of these ships dare sail through.
06:20It is such a dangerous situation.
06:22As you say, it's just too risky, Philip.
06:24And meanwhile, of course, Iran has been launching retaliatory attacks on Gulf countries
06:28since the start of the U.S.-Israeli attacks and has threatened ports in your area.
06:32What is the latest on that front?
06:34Yeah, Iran does keep launching drones more than anything,
06:37but ballistic missiles also towards pretty much all of the Gulf countries,
06:41towards Saudi Arabia that intercepts dozens of drones on a daily basis towards Bahrain,
06:47towards Qatar, and towards the United Arab Emirates, where I am.
06:50And the Dubai International Airport, it's the busiest for passenger traffic worldwide.
06:55It is closed right now because it was hit by a drone or a drone fragment.
07:00One of the oil compartments there went up in flames.
07:07And indeed, that airport is still closed.
07:09There have been very serious threats from Iran towards specifically the United Arab Emirates.
07:15And the UAE particularly aggrieved that it is being called out specifically by Iran.
07:22There were threats on three of its major ports, one of which is just south from here and was,
07:27in fact, attacked, calls on people to evacuate these areas because Iran says that the United States
07:33staged its attacks on Iran from here without offering any proof.
07:39Now, again, what we're seeing here is huge amounts of drone attacks.
07:43But the air defenses of pretty much all of the Gulf countries are taking care of this.
07:47But occasionally, one drone or at least fragments come through.
07:50And that explains why we've seen that huge fire at the oil depot.
07:54That's at Dubai International Airport that is still closed at this point.
07:58OK, Philip Craither, thank you so much for that live update there from the Strait of Hormuz.
08:03Now, back here in Brussels, EU foreign ministers are gathering for key talks ahead of this week's EU Council meeting.
08:08To look ahead to the talks coming up, we'll be joined here in the studio by Ioana Silva-Toiu,
08:13Minister of Foreign Affairs from Romania, a former Minister for Labour and a former journalist.
08:18She's a member of the centre-right Save Romanian Union.
08:21Good morning, Minister. Thank you so much for joining us here on Europe Today.
08:25So this escalation in the Middle East will be the main focus of your talks today.
08:29Is the EU prepared for a longer war, a regional war?
08:33Good morning. Thank you for having me.
08:34Of course, no one wants another war and especially not a longer war.
08:38As for the talks today, we are focused on the Middle East situation and especially what can we do together
08:44to de-escalate that
08:45and to open again the Strait of Hormuz in such a way that our citizens do not feel for a
08:51long term the impact on the energy prices that they currently see.
08:54So on that point, what are you willing to do to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
08:58And you've seen the threats from Donald Trump to NATO members saying that if you don't help, you know, you
09:02face a bad future.
09:03In terms of the Strait of Hormuz, currently, it is very clear that it is too risky.
09:09And in that sense, there are also some financial mechanisms that need to be put in place for the future
09:13in terms of insurance, reinsurance,
09:15because we need to look at the next stage after the current military attacks.
09:19And that is something that we are currently doing.
09:22In terms of the United States' proposal for help, it is very clear now that countries are reluctant to join
09:30the conflict in any way.
09:32And this is not just for the European countries' reality, but also I have spoken with ministers of foreign affairs
09:38from the Middle East throughout this conflict
09:40as we were bringing our citizens back and we were grateful for their partnership in that.
09:44And they have also been very clear on the fact that they want to see the conflict de-escalate,
09:49although it is very clear that the unprovoked Iranian attacks on their territory, even on civilian targets,
09:56from their perspective, allows them to exercise the right to self-defense.
10:01But they're reluctant to go there, and I think we have a common purpose to make sure that the war
10:06doesn't have a larger effect,
10:10doesn't involve more countries.
10:12So the Europeans don't want to get involved. So how can you help them mediating between the U.S., Israel,
10:16and Iran?
10:17That is the current purpose, and that's part of what we have discussed with the ministers of foreign affairs
10:22from the Gulf Coordination Council when we had our common meeting and in bilateral talks.
10:27Also in terms of what we're doing on the defense part, because that is also very important.
10:32Romania, together with the United States, we have increased our defense capabilities on the Romanian territories.
10:39Since 10 years ago, we have an anti-missile defense capability there that was already put into place in 2016
10:49to protect Romania, but to protect Europe as well, from missiles potentially coming from the Middle East.
10:54And just back to the Strait of Hormuz, what about extending the blocs and naval mission there?
10:58What's Romania's view here?
11:00We're not involved in the naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz, and in our case,
11:04something that is very clear is that we still have the Black Sea to protect.
11:08That is very important because we need not forget that we still have a war at our border
11:12and at the border of the European Union.
11:15And in that sense, I would say we are worried that the current ease on sanctions, for example,
11:20on Russian oil from the United States might give Russia an extra resource that will then fuel further the war.
11:29And that is why it's very important today that we also reaffirm that the European Union
11:33has prolonged its sanctions for six months.
11:36And I think it is very important that we still work on putting extra pressure on Russia in this moment.
11:42And just a final point on Ukraine.
11:44They're still waiting for the 90 billion loan that Hungary is holding up.
11:47Will that be solved this week?
11:48That is the plan, and Romania has been very clear.
11:51So has my president, when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Romania this week.
11:56We are very strong on our position that the loan needs to be dispersed.
11:59And it is also very clear now for whoever says that it is too expensive to continue supporting Ukraine
12:07in its resilience is that the alternative is way more expensive.
12:11And we need to make sure that the effort that Ukraine is doing to protect its citizens,
12:16but also Europe indirectly has the support it needs.
12:19Okay, Minister. Thank you so much for coming into us here on Europe Today on Euronews.
12:24Well, now, as European foreign ministers lockheads today at a very challenging time for the European Union,
12:29GCC countries are also on edge.
12:32And as we heard earlier from Philip Crowther,
12:34Dubai's international airport had to close temporarily after a drone-related incident caused a blaze.
12:39For the view from the UAE, Euronews correspondent Toby Gregory spoke to Lana Nuseve,
12:44the Minister of State and UAE Special Envoy to the European Union.
12:48He started by asking her what the UAE was doing to prevent a regional war.
12:52I think the priority right now is defending the country against these attacks
12:57and ensuring it doesn't disrupt normal life.
13:00But, of course, we have been preparing for various scenarios in a very turbulent region for decades.
13:05So these are not new plans.
13:07We have had contingency plans in place since prior to this point.
13:13We take the safety and security of the 500,000 European residents, for example, who reside here.
13:20And I know that's a domestic audience that you are also speaking to incredibly seriously.
13:26And I think our trade ties with Europe at 65 billion euros a year is a robust signal that we
13:35are also open for investment.
13:37So we're negotiating a free trade agreement with the European Union at the moment.
13:40European partners have come in to assist us and to also protect their own communities here in the UAE.
13:47And it is Iran that is very clearly isolated on the international stage.
13:51In terms of Europe and the partners that are helping, without compromising national security or elements like that,
13:58how are you protecting the nation and how are the international partners involved?
14:02We've had a challenging experience.
14:04But what our air defence system has shown is that it's best in class.
14:09That has taken, as I said, years of investment, but also operational capability, practice in other domains.
14:16And that these partnerships that we have with countries are strategic and important.
14:23So you mentioned France, you mentioned Italy, the United Kingdom also,
14:29and others who have offered and who are coming in to work with us in this challenging time.
14:36But they're not coming in because they are protecting UAE interests.
14:40I think they're coming in because they recognise that UAE interests are, in fact, global interests.
14:46They're, of course, the wider regional stability of Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean is incredibly important.
14:52But globally, the Straits of Hormuz, a fifth of the world's energy supplies, passes through that narrow waterway.
15:00And this has an impact on not only global energy prices, but global food security and food supplies.
15:06The UN has estimated that there's been an 18% increase in their ability to give aid to those most
15:13in need in terms of food insecurity, for example, as a result of this.
15:17So Iran must not be allowed to hold the global economy hostage by its rogue state behaviour.
15:25Now, if you see you're one of many countries impacted here, but what role can the UAE play from both
15:30an energy perspective and perhaps food security too?
15:33In terms of energy supply, we are a responsible and committed supplier to the global energy market, and we will
15:39continue to do what we can.
15:40But we are also very frank with our partners, as have other suppliers in the region been,
15:47that unless UN Security Council Resolution 2817 is enforced, and it is binding on Iran that they abide by it,
15:54there are going to be ramifications.
15:56There are going to be implications for global energy prices, and that will also impact bills in grocery stores,
16:06bills in the petrol stations, the price of food.
16:10So it's important today that Europe understand, and this would be my message to my European friends and partners,
16:16first and foremost, thank you.
16:18What you are defending here is not only the UAE.
16:21What you are defending here is a model.
16:24It's a model of coexistence, of tolerance, of peace for the wider region.
16:29But it's a model that also wants to export stabilisation in commodities, in energy, and in security and peace.
16:37So if you're against those things, then you are in the camp of Iran and these rogue state actors
16:45that are trying to export nihilism to the whole international system.
16:49I don't think we can allow that to happen on our watch.
16:53And now moving on to a major story unfolding here in Brussels and also in Berlin and Munich,
16:59Manfred Weber, a German politician and the leader of the very powerful European People's Party
17:03inside the European Parliament, is in political hot water.
17:07Investigations suggest he cooperated more closely than thought with right-wing parties inside the parliament,
17:13including the far-right AFD, Alternative für Deutschland.
17:17For more, we can bring in our German politics expert Stefan Krobe.
17:20Stefan, good morning.
17:21Good morning, Maeve.
17:22Just bring us up to speed here.
17:23What exactly happened?
17:25Well, what happened is essentially that Manfred Weber violated his own public principles
17:30and lied to the German voters by cooperating with the far-right AFD party on a European level.
17:37He did this on one of the trickiest political topics in the European Union, and that is immigration.
17:43So we know this because an investigation by a German news agency, DPA, revealed that when negotiations in committee stalled
17:55and he couldn't make any leeway with his usual partners, the Social Democrats and the Liberals,
18:01he then turned his attention to the far-right parties and his staff set up a WhatsApp group so that
18:09the members of these parties could negotiate with Manfred Weber's office.
18:14And one of these parties was the AFD, one of the biggest political enemies of Manfred Weber's Christian Democratic Party,
18:22Christian Democratic Union in Germany.
18:24Everyone wondering this morning, Stefan Krobe, what's next then?
18:28How could this impact Manfred Weber?
18:30Well, I mean, Manfred Weber is a shrewd politician, and he knows what he's doing normally.
18:35So I think he did so because he could so.
18:40Now, whether this will turn out to its benefit remains to be seen.
18:45The plenary vote on this draft proposal on immigration policy is on March the 26th.
18:52If this passes with the votes of the far-right members, then I think he has a problem because then
19:00his usual partners of the center will probably, you know, want him to leave.
19:05And we've already heard over the weekend calls from members of the Social Democrats and other parties for him to
19:13step down.
19:14So he is in hot water, as you said.
19:17He's in a very tough position right now, a self-made, a self-inflicted position here.
19:24And I think we have to follow this very closely in the days and weeks ahead.
19:28We will.
19:29And we've, of course, reached out to Manfred Weber himself to come on to Europe Today to speak to us
19:32here at Euronews.
19:33So stay tuned for that.
19:34And, of course, you can read more about that story and also about the French local elections, which are a
19:39bit of a litmus test for next year's presidential elections on Euronews.com.
19:43But for now, that brings this edition of Europe Today to an end.
19:46Thank you so much for your company.
19:48As always, take care and stay tuned to us here on Euronews.
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