The chair of the Iran delegation in the European Parliament, Hannah Neumann of the Greens, urged Israel and the United States to spell out their objectives in any upcoming military action. “Israel talks about a preventive strike against Iran’s nuclear programme, the United States about regime change” she told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (RND).
Neumann stressed that Europe now needs clarity from Washington and Tel Aviv on what they actually want to achieve. Only once the target of the strikes is clear can Brussels coordinate with Gulf states and take a meaningful role in the conflict. “Our primary aim must be to protect the people in the region” she added.
She complained that the EU-and individual member states-were left completely out of the planning and execution of the first attacks. “It is vital that we now, over the next few days, coordinate closely and establish operational capability” Neumann said. The developments in the region affect European citizens directly.
The Green also warned of unpredictable consequences. “We can only hope that the United States and Israel have a sound plan and are not steering towards a large, protracted escalation” she said. The early, targeted counter‑strikes on U.S. military bases in several countries had demonstrated that Tehran was well‑prepared.
“The hope for a regime change in Iran has not materialised even during the twelve‑day war” Neumann continued. “A regime change can only happen if large parts of the Iranian security establishment defect. There are so far no signs of that”.
Iranian state media reported that a rocket attack in the south of the country killed more than 50 schoolgirls and left dozens more injured.
Michael Rimmel, head of the Konrad‑Adenauer‑Stiftung (KAS) in Israel, said that a regime change in Iran can only be achieved through the engagement of the Iranian people. “If the Iranian people force a leadership change, it could succeed” he told RND. “Air strikes alone cannot achieve that. It depends critically on what happens on the streets in Iran right now”.
Rimmel noted that Israel’s and the United States’ air attacks come at a strategically advantageous moment. Iran is weaker than before; its military capacity to strike Israel and other adversaries has been reduced, and Hezbollah and Hamas have also been weakened. Thus, conditions for such an attack have not been favourable for a long time.
The EU is expected to support the attacks. Initially, its priority is to evacuate its citizens from the conflict zone. “The Israeli government already expects the EU to understand the war and, at least morally, to support it” Rimmel said.