EU’s Borrell says Middle East on cliff edge: ‘We have to step on the brakes’

By Reuters 15 April 2024, 1:21 pm 4 Edit

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks to the media ahead of a Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on March 18, 2024. (Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)

The European Union’s foreign policy chief says the Middle East stands “on the edge of the cliff” and calls for de-escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

“We’re on the edge of the cliff and we have to move away from it,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tells Spanish radio station Onda Cero. “We have to step on the brakes and reverse gear.”

Borrell says he expected a response from Israel to the unprecedented aerial attack by Iran but hopes it will not spark further escalation.