Kallas says Europe may help restore Hormuz navigation, likely through diplomacy, not force
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas walks after an interview with Reuters in Brussels, Belgium March 17, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone.PHOTO: REUTERS
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called on the United States and Israel on Tuesday to end their war with Iran and said the EU was consulting with Middle East governments on how to bring the conflict to a close.
In an interview with Reuters in Brussels, Kallas said the door was not closed to European participation in efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but any role would most likely be part of a diplomatic solution.
Multiple European nations have rebuffed US President Donald Trump’s calls to join a mission to reopen the Strait, a key transit route for oil, gas and other goods that is now largely blocked by Iran.
European leaders say they are unwilling to put forces at risk in a war they did not start, despite Trump’s warnings that reluctance could affect the NATO alliance.
Kallas said Europe did not understand some US actions under Trump or its objectives in Iran, but had grown used to his unpredictability and was now “more calm” in its responses.
EU consulting with Mideast countries
Asked whether it was time to end the war, Kallas said:
“Absolutely. It would be in the interest of everybody if this war stops. The problem with wars is that they are easier to start than to stop, and they can quickly get out of hand.”
Kallas, a former Estonian prime minister who now serves as the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said the bloc was ready to help diplomatically.
Read More: EU to bolster Pakistan’s capacity-building efforts
“We have been consulting with regional countries like the Gulf states, Jordan and Egypt on whether we could bring forward proposals for Iran, Israel and the US to get out of this situation so that everybody saves face.”
She gave no further details.
The conflict is the latest strain in transatlantic relations since Trump returned to the White House in January last year.
“The main concern of European countries is that we were not consulted before this war began. In fact, many Europeans tried to convince the US and Israel not to start it,” Kallas said.
Strait of Hormuz and global impact
The war is already affecting Europe, particularly through rising energy prices linked to Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz.
“Nobody is ready to put their people in harm’s way in the Strait of Hormuz,” Kallas said. “We have to find diplomatic ways to keep it open to avoid a global food, fertiliser and energy crisis.”
Kallas suggested a possible model based on the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal, which allowed Ukraine to export food during wartime without attacks on civilian vessels.
She said she had discussed the idea with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the global body was working on it.
“The question now is what neighbouring countries, especially Iran, would agree to,” she said.
