Europeans cautious as they scramble to digest major US and Israeli attack on Iran

WARSAW (AP) — European leaders scrambled to protect their citizens in the Middle East and figure out how to respond to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday, amid fast-moving developments on the ground.

Germany is holding an emergency meeting Saturday to discuss the situation in Iran. The European Union is evacuating some staff from the region.

The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on targets across Iran and U.S. President Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to “take over your government” — an extraordinary appeal that suggested they could be seeking to end the country’s theocracy after decades of tensions.

It was unclear whether U.S. allies were given any advance warning of the attacks. The German government said it was only given notice of the attacks Saturday morning. France’s junior defense minister said France knew something would happen, but didn’t know when.

Responding to the attack, the European Union’s top diplomat called the conflict in the Middle East “perilous” and said she was working with Israeli and Arab officials to pursue a negotiated peace.

“Iran’s regime has killed thousands. Its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes, along with support for terror groups, pose a serious threat to global security,” said Kaja Kallas, foreign policy chief of the 27-nation bloc, in a post on social media.

“The EU is also coordinating closely with Arab partners to explore diplomatic paths.”

She said the EU was evacuating some staff in the region while keeping in place a maritime mission in the Red Sea. The EU recently put fresh sanctions on Iran and leading figures, which prompted retaliatory sanctions by Tehran.

The German government said it was monitoring the situation in Iran, Israel and the wider Middle East region after being informed about the Israeli strikes on Saturday morning. The German government’s crisis management team is scheduled to meet at noon to discuss the situation in Iran.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz was already consulting with ministers in charge of security, and with European partners.

The German government urged German citizens in Iran, Israel, and the wider region to sign up on the official registration system for citizens abroad and follow the instructions of the local authorities regarding the necessary measures for their own protection.

France, whose military has bases and a regular presence in the Mideast, is calling on French citizens in the region to exercise extreme caution.

“A military escalation is underway. … It’s not the time for negotiations, we are in a situation of war,” junior Defense Minister Alice Rufo told France-2 television Saturday, comparing the situation to what happened last June.

“Our priority is the protection of our citizens and protection of our forces in the region,” she said.

Asked if French forces were involved in the U.S. and Israeli strikes or targeted in retaliatory strikes, French military spokesperson Col. Guillaume Vernet said Saturday: “The French armed forces continuously adapt their posture to threats and implement measures to ensure the surveillance and protection of military installations where French soldiers are deployed.”

He would not elaborate.

“Our military presence guarantees France’s independent assessment of the situation,” he told the AP.

Italy’s government urged Italians to exercise the utmost caution and follow instructions provided by its embassies in the region. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said the prime minister would be in contact with the region’s allies and leaders within the next few hours to “support any initiative that may lead to a de-escalation of tensions.”

“Italy reiterates its support to the Iranian civilian population, who courageously continue to demand respect for their civil and political rights,” Meloni’s office said.

Switzerland called for full respect of international law and urged “all parties to exercise maximum restraint, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

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Angela Charlton in Paris, Sam McNeil in Brussels and Paolo Santalucia in Rome contributed to this report.