European Left: Europe must stand for peace, not war

The European Left strongly condemns the military attacks carried out by the United States and Israel against Iran and the shocking reaction of several European leaders who have failed to denounce this illegal act of aggression.

At a moment of dangerous escalation, Spain has taken a courageous and principled position. The country’s left-wing coalition government has publicly refused the use of U.S. military bases on Spanish territory for attacks against Iran. It has called for respect for international law and demanded an immediate end to the war.

Across Europe, far-right and conservative forces are attacking Spain’s courageous stance. Izquierda Unida has rightly warned that these forces act as a “Trojan horse” for U.S. interests, promoting militarization and war that primarily benefit the arms industry.

The European Left expresses its full solidarity with Spain, its government, and the trade unions, associations, social movements, and young people mobilizing for peace.

Instead of condemning this aggression, many European governments have chosen to focus on Iran’s response. Some leaders in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have even suggested that Europe could support—or participate in—this war in the name of defending their “allies”.

This double standard is unacceptable. The same European states that rightly condemn violations of international law in Ukraine are now justifying—or even supporting—the blatant violation of international law by Trump and Netanyahu.

Progressive forces inside Iran also reject this war. Left-wing opposition groups such as the Tudeh Party of Iran—whose members have faced imprisonment, torture, and repression under the current Iranian regime—warn that this military aggression will not liberate the Iranian people. On the contrary, it risks devastating the country and replacing one authoritarian system with another dependent regime, potentially under a restored Shah.

This war threatens to plunge an entire region into chaos. Rising gas and oil prices are already having serious economic consequences for people across Europe and around the world.