We are long past the point where any rational person expects the European Union to oppose Donald Trump’s war on Iran on such quixotic grounds as values, morality or law. The United States can (and sooner or later will) walk away from the wreckage of Trump’s war. The existing regime in Iran has sponsored international proxies, but it has not in general directed them against Europe. Iran is itself already the second biggest host country for refugees: it shelters 3.4 million refugees and an additional 1.1 million Afghans with varying kinds of legal status. The EU’s Agency for Asylum published its annual analysis of trends just before Trump launched his war on Iran.

Source: The Irish Times March 17, 2026 10:32 UTC