EU: Agreement must be implemented swiftly and completely

European Union (EU) Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated in a post on her social media account that she welcomed the agreement between the US and Iran. Emphasizing that the agreement should immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz to navigation, von der Leyen said, “The priority now is for the agreement to be implemented swiftly and completely by all parties.”

Von der Leyen noted that freedom of navigation should be reestablished and that passages should not be subject to any charges. She stated that the agreement should pave the way for more comprehensive negotiations towards peace and security in the Middle East, adding, “Of course, it is not possible to talk about peace in the Middle East while Lebanon is in flames. Europe once again calls on all parties to respect Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to implement a genuine ceasefire.”

Reminding that Europe is ready to support, von der Leyen said, “This crisis also contains a clear lesson. It has once again been seen that energy dependencies are used as a tool. We must diversify our supply routes and develop alternative export corridors to reduce dependency on the Strait of Hormuz.”