Spanish FM Calls For EU Arms Embargo On Israel
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares speaks during a press conference, on the day Spanish government hosts a meeting of foreign ministers from the European Union and Arab countries to discuss the war in Gaza, at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Madrid, Spain, May 25, 2025. REUTERS/Juan Medina
MADRID, June 18 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has called on the European Union (EU) to impose an arms embargo on Israel as a means to end the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday, Albares emphasised that the EU, as Israel's largest trading partner in the world, holds significant influence.
The bloc "must impose an arms embargo so that our European partners don't sell weapons to Israel while this war continues," he said.
bootstrap slideshow
Albares has been a vocal critic of the conflict in Gaza and a staunch advocate for a two-state solution. In May, he called Gaza "an open wound for humanity" at an international meeting of foreign representatives from European and Muslim countries, Brazil, and international organisations.
Commenting on the newly erupted Israel-Iran conflicts, Albares called for de-escalation from both sides.
"Right now, we need to de-escalate this exchange of missiles and bombs between Israel and Iran, and ensure that everything related to Iran's nuclear programme is properly resolved and that Iran moves away from having nuclear weapons through diplomatic negotiations," he said.
According to Gaza-based health authorities, at least 5,139 Palestinians had been killed and 16,882 others injured since Israel renewed its intensive strikes on March 18. This brings the total death toll since October 2023 to 55,432, with 128,923 people injured.
Following Israel's surprise strike on Iran on June 13, the subsequent clashes have killed at least 244 people in Iran and 24 in Israel, according to official figures.
--BERNAMA-XINHUA
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
37 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Saturday it would recommend US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, an accolade that he has said he craves, for his work in helping to resolve the recent conflict between India and Pakistan. Some analysts in Pakistan said the move might persuade Trump to think again about potentially joining Israel in striking Iran's nuclear facilities. Pakistan has condemned Israel's action as a violation of international law and a threat to regional stability. In May, a surprise announcement by Trump of a ceasefire brought an abrupt end to a four-day conflict between nuclear-armed foes India and Pakistan. Trump has since repeatedly said that he averted a nuclear war, saved millions of lives, and grumbled that he got no credit for it. Pakistan agrees that US diplomatic intervention ended the fighting, but India says it was a bilateral agreement between the two militaries. "President Trump demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi, which de-escalated a rapidly deteriorating situation," Pakistan said. "This intervention stands as a testament to his role as a genuine peacemaker." Governments can nominate people for the Nobel Peace Prize. There was no immediate response from Washington. A spokesperson for the Indian government did not respond to a request for comment. Trump has repeatedly said that he's willing to mediate between India and Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir region, their main source of enmity. Islamabad, which has long called for international attention to Kashmir, is delighted. But his stance has upended US policy in South Asia, which had favoured India as a counterweight to China, and put in question previously close relations between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a social media post on Friday, Trump gave a long list of conflicts he said he had resolved, including India and Pakistan and the Abraham Accords in his first term between Israel and some Muslim-majority countries. He added: "I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do." Pakistan's move to nominate Trump came in the same week its army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, met the US leader for lunch. It was the first time that a Pakistani military leader had been invited to the White House when a civilian government was in place in Islamabad. Trump's planned meeting with Modi at the G7 summit in Canada last week did not take place after the US president left early, but the two later spoke by phone, in which Modi said "India does not and will never accept mediation" in its dispute with Pakistan, according to the Indian government. Mushahid Hussain, a former chair of the Senate Defence Committee in Pakistan's parliament, suggested nominating Trump for the peace prize was justified. "Trump is good for Pakistan," he said. "If this panders to Trump's ego, so be it. All the European leaders have been sucking up to him big time." But the move was not universally applauded in Pakistan, where Trump's support for Israel's war in Gaza has inflamed passions. "Israel's sugar daddy in Gaza and cheerleader of its attacks on Iran isn't a candidate for any prize," said Talat Hussain, a prominent Pakistani television political talk show host, in a post on X. "And what if he starts to kiss Modi on both cheeks again after a few months?"
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Turkey says Israel dragging region into disaster with attacks on Iran
ANKARA: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his counterparts from Muslim countries that Israel was dragging the region into 'total disaster' with its attacks on Iran, and added world powers must prevent the war from spiralling into a wider conflict. Speaking at a foreign ministers' meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, Fidan called on Muslim countries to stand with Iran against Israel, and said the region had an 'Israel problem' after its assault on Gaza and attacks on Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran.
Borneo Post
an hour ago
- Borneo Post
UAE warns against prolonged Iran-Israel war
Anwar Gargash says the war was 'setting back' the wealthy Gulf region. – AFP DUBAI (June 21): A senior United Arab Emirates official has urged a quick end to the Iran-Israel war, warning of a 'difficult aftermath' if the conflict is prolonged. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the oil-rich UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said the war was 'setting back' the wealthy Gulf region. 'The longer a war takes, the more dangerous it becomes,' he told journalists in a briefing on Friday. 'I think any extended confrontation or war between Israel and Iran will only bring a very difficult aftermath.' US President Donald Trump has given Iran a 'maximum' of two weeks to negotiate before possible US air strikes, but Tehran said it would not hold talks while under attack. 'De-escalation is extremely important,' Gargash said. 'We still feel that there is a path back to negotiations on these issues.' The Middle East is still dealing with the repercussions of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, which toppled Saddam Hussein but left the country divided and destabilised. One major risk of the current war is disruption to the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, which carries one-fifth of global oil output. 'This war flies in the face of the regional order the Gulf countries want to build, which is focused on regional prosperity,' Gargash said. 'We feel that this is setting us back, not only us in the UAE, but I would say the region.' – AFP Anwar Gargash Iran Israel middle east UAE war
