RIYADH: The fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran may have halted immediate hostilities, but it has done little to resolve the deeper tensions that ignited the conflict — a reality underscored by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
Speaking to Arab News in Riyadh on Wednesday, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice-president of the European Commission praised Islamabad’s mediation efforts.
“Just this morning, I spoke to the deputy prime minister of Pakistan, really commending them on their mediation in these talks to have a ceasefire,” Kallas said.
“But there’s a lot to do. And of course there are actors in the region who can act as mediators. But in the end it has to be Iran and the US that sit around the table.”
Her remarks came as a US-brokered deadline narrowly avoided further escalation, with both Washington and Tehran agreeing to a two-week truce after a war that has killed thousands, disrupted global trade, and rattled energy markets.
While the ceasefire has brought temporary relief — including a sharp drop in oil prices following Iran’s apparent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz — it remains precarious.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on the first day of her visit to Riyadh. (AN photo/MOFA)
Tehran has warned that “the war is not over” until formal negotiations address its demands, which include sanctions relief, control over key waterways, and recognition of its nuclear program — maximalist demands the US is unlikely to accept.
On Wednesday, there were reports of ongoing Iranian drone and missile attacks on multiple Gulf states. Israel has also continued to mount strikes against Hezbollah, insisting the ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon.
Kallas welcomed the ceasefire as a necessary first step, but highlighted its limitations.
“Now the ceasefire is a welcome development,” she said. “But in that ceasefire, there needs to be a settlement and negotiations because the underlying issues of the conflict have not been solved.”
Kallas arrived in the Gulf at a moment of acute regional tension, following weeks of Iranian drone and missile strikes on Gulf countries — attacks she described in unequivocal terms.
“We have seen the (unprovoked) attacks on Saudi Arabia, but also neighboring countries by Iran that we have strongly condemned,” she said. “And now we see there’s a ceasefire and potential negotiations to actually settle all the issues that we have.”
Her visit, she said, is part of an effort to deepen coordination between Europe and the Gulf states at a time when their security concerns are increasingly intertwined.
“We are discussing with our counterparts here what more we can do together in order to bring stability and peace to the region, because we see that our two regions are very much interlinked.”
That interconnection has been laid bare by the war. Iranian strikes on energy infrastructure and shipping routes have had ripple effects far beyond the Middle East, disrupting oil and gas supplies and threatening global food security through fertilizer exports.
“These are clearly unprovoked attacks,” Kallas said. “And attacking civilian infrastructure when it doesn’t have a military purpose is against international humanitarian law. So these must stop.”
She added: “(They) also have a huge impact on the rest of the world. If we think about the oil and gas that comes from the region to other parts of the world. Or the fertilizers that come also via the Strait of Hormuz to Africa, for example. So that’s why it is important that we find a settlement to this war.”
This frame grab from handout UGC video footage by seafarer Wang Shang taken on March 12, 2026 shows smoke emerging from the Source Blessing cargo vessel, as filmed from the vessel Wang was onboard in the Gulf, north of Dubai. (Handout photo/AFP)
The conflict has accelerated efforts to strengthen ties between the EU and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, with both sides increasingly viewing their security as interconnected.
“I think this is more important than ever,” Kallas said, referring to the EU-GCC summit scheduled to take place in Riyadh later this year. “We have seen that we have been there for the Gulf countries when they have been attacked.”
She pointed to practical cooperation already underway. “Our member states have given air defense. Ukraine has provided knowledge of drone interceptors to take down the drone attacks. And there’s plenty more room to cooperate.”
The strategic logic, she argued, is clear.
“We see that our security is also interlinked. What happens here also has an effect in Europe and vice versa. We see Russia, the biggest threat to Europe, and Iran, the biggest threat to your region, actually cooperating very closely together.”
Although no date has yet been set for the EU-GCC summit, Kallas stressed its urgency. “I think this is more important than ever to build and develop our partnership further.”
Despite internal differences, Kallas insisted the EU has maintained a consistent position on the conflict.
“We have been unified in condemning Iran’s attacks on the neighboring countries, and these have been unprovoked attacks,” she said.
Smoke and flames rise from an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on March 14, 2026, as Iran targeted the Gulf's petroleum facilities hours after the US struck Iran's Kharg Island. (AFP)
She noted that European concerns about Iran extend well beyond the current war.
“We have been also voicing concerns even before this war started. Not only the nuclear issue, but also the ballistic missiles that are threatening the neighbors, but also the cyber and hybrid attacks, and the detention of European citizens, but also Iran’s support to Russia in the war against Ukraine.”
However, divisions have emerged over the extent of military support for US operations, with some EU member states declining requests to use their airspace or bases.
“Every member state has the right to decide over their airspace,” Kallas said. “So it is, of course, a political decision. We are democratic countries, and the opinions vary in different countries.”
At the same time, European support has focused on defense. “What the member states have provided is defensive action to defend the Gulf countries,” she said.
The war has also exposed strains in the transatlantic alliance, with public disagreements between Washington and European capitals raising concerns in the Gulf about mixed signals. Kallas acknowledged the risks.
“Absolutely. I agree with you that if we are divided, then it serves our adversaries,” she said. “They are happy if we are not in the same position.”
Despite current tensions, she stressed Europe’s commitment to finding common ground with the US.
“We have difficulties in our relationship right now, but we are definitely, on our side, willing to work to find common solutions.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas being interviewed by Arab News’s Lama Alhamawi. (AN photo)
Few issues illustrate the global stakes of the conflict more clearly than the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of the world’s energy supplies pass.
Iran’s temporary reopening of the waterway under the ceasefire has provided immediate relief to markets, but its longer-term intentions remain a major concern.
Kallas highlighted the importance of keeping the strait open — not only for regional stability but for the global economy.
“Right now, I think it’s important that the waterways remain open,” she said. “It has a huge impact on the world. More on Asia, Africa, but also on Europe.”
She noted that while NATO has not received any formal request to intervene, discussions have taken place about safeguarding shipping.
“As far as I know, there has been no official request made to actually deploy troops or ships,” she said. “And NATO is a defensive (rather than offensive) alliance. That’s very clear.”
However, she hinted that future measures could include expanded maritime security efforts.
“When we have had the talks with the Americans, then they have said that after the cessation of hostilities there needs to be the escorting of ships, guarding of the ships in the Strait of Hormuz, but also in the wider area.”
She pointed to existing EU operations as a model. “We have the operation ASPIDES in the Red Sea that is escorting ships, because there have been Houthi attacks. And, of course, we can also build on that.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas with Arab News’s Lama Alhamawi. (AN photo)
While the Iran conflict dominates the agenda, Kallas also pointed to other pressing issues in the region — including Israel’s recent adoption of the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners, which the EU has strongly criticized.
“These discussions have been ongoing,” she said. “And, of course, we’ve also flagged to our Israeli partners that the death penalty, the introduction of it like they have, it’s really going against the fundamental principles of the EU that we have agreed to.”
She indicated that the EU is prepared to use its leverage.
“We have the tools in our hands, and we have also put them on the table to have leverage over Israel.”
At the same time, she stressed the importance of maintaining a broader focus on the humanitarian situation.
“We are trying to talk to them when it comes to the issues that are happening in the Middle East, but also, more specifically, we can’t forget what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank. And this is all very worrying and where the international community actually has to stick together.”
