European Union To Hold Emergency Talks On Iran After US, Israel Strikes

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has announced that the bloc’s foreign ministers will hold “extraordinary” talks on Sunday following United States and Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent retaliatory attacks.

Naija News reports that Kallas disclosed this in a post on 𝕏 amid escalating tensions across the Middle East.

Kallas stated, “I will convene an extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council via video link on Sunday to address Iran and the rapidly unfolding events across the Middle East.

“The Iranian regime’s indiscriminate attacks against its neighbours carry the risk of dragging the region into a broader war, and we condemn this.”

The announcement followed a wave of coordinated strikes on Saturday by the United States and Israel on targets in Iranian cities, including Tehran, triggering explosions and plumes of smoke in the capital.

United States President, Donald Trump, said Washington’s objective was “eliminating imminent threats” from Iran.

In a video message posted on his social media platform, Trump stated, “The United States’ military began major combat operations in Iran.”

He added, “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally, again, obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy.”

Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, described the action as a “preventive strike.”

The United States said Iran’s retaliatory attacks had caused no reported American casualties.

The Pentagon stated that damage to US installations had been “minimal” despite what it described as a barrage of Iranian missile and drone assaults.

In a statement, the United States Central Command said, “CENTCOM forces successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.”

“There have been no reports of US casualties or combat-related injuries. Damage to US installations was minimal and has not impacted operations,” it added.