Overview
- EU leaders in Nicosia, who met Friday, said any Iran peace deal must cover Lebanon’s sovereignty and called for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen without tolls.
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned the talks could yield a weaker nuclear pact than the 2015 JCPOA unless nuclear experts take part and missiles and proxy forces are addressed.
- Ursula von der Leyen proposed expanding European naval security and working with Gulf states on new energy routes that bypass the Hormuz chokepoint.
- The war’s closure of Hormuz, which carries about one fifth of seaborne oil, has pushed Brent crude to around $100 and added €25 billion to EU energy costs in 43 days.
- EU leaders advanced outreach to Syria with a planned high‑level dialogue and a €620 million aid package as Syria’s Ahmad Al Shara urged Europe to press Israel to halt its attacks.