A new diplomatic grouping made its debut on the shores of the Bosphorus on Friday. Four European capitals, Berlin, Paris, London and Rome, sent their top diplomats to a table shared with Ankara, Riyadh, Islamabad and Cairo, a line-up that had never gathered in this form before. The format grew out of an initiative by Germany’s Johann Wadephul and Turkey’s Hakan Fidan.
Their central message was aimed at Washington and Tehran alike. Fidan told reporters that none of the eight governments currently supports another military operation against Iran, warning that a fresh attack could widen the conflict across the region. He also called for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened and for attacks on Saudi Arabia to end. France’s Jean-Noel Barrot warned that renewed fighting would leave every side worse off and would hit oil and gas prices hard.
The timing was pointed. The US still enforces a naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran fires on vessels that try to cross Hormuz without its permission. On the same day, the US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, said an American strike this weekend was “absolutely” possible, even though President Trump had suggested earlier this month he would hold off until after the November 3 midterms.
Separately, the four regional members issued a joint statement condemning Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia and on merchant vessels off Yemen, calling for an end to violence in the Palestinian territories and backing Pakistan’s mediation between the US and Iran. Italy’s Antonio Tajani argued that Hormuz cannot be reopened by military means alone.
There was no talk of a breakthrough at the Bosphorus hotel. But the ministers agreed to keep meeting on a regular basis, betting that an informal club spanning Europe, the Gulf and South Asia can carry weight that the usual forums lack.
