“It is evident that the EU—and here there is a great consensus among the various states—views these developments with significant concern, as they exacerbate international tensions,” said Rangel, adding that the situation has reached another level.
Speaking to journalists following a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, Paulo Rangel reiterated “a strong appeal for the resumption of diplomatic negotiations.”
Iran must be willing to sit at the negotiating table and abandon its military nuclear program, he added.
“This process needs to be stopped,” he asserted, further noting that the use of nuclear energy for civilian purposes does not require uranium enrichment to the level that Tehran was undertaking.
The conflict between Israel and Iran was triggered on June 13 by Israeli bombings on Iranian territory, prompting Tehran’s retaliation.
The conflict, which has already resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries on both sides, took on a new dimension with Saturday’s bombings by the United States on various Iranian nuclear facilities, including the Fordo complex, which has the capacity for uranium enrichment at 60%, according to experts.
