Opportunity for Europe

Iran-Israel: turning point in Middle East diplomacy

Will the missiles remain in the arsenals in future?

(Bild: APA/AFP/jalaa marey)

Iran and Israel are trying to play down the Israeli retaliation at night. This is an opportunity for diplomacy. And for Europe, as the former EU Special Representative for the Middle East peace process, Andreas Reinicke, said in an interview with "Krone".

Shortly after five o'clock in the morning local time, explosions were heard in the strategically important city of Isfahan. The Israeli retaliation to the Iranian attack last weekend had begun. The Iranian news agency FARS reported that three explosions were heard near an army base in the city of Isfahan. Important facilities of the Iranian arms industry are located in Isfahan. The country's largest nuclear research center is also located in the cultural city. According to Iranian reports, there was no damage, the Iranian air defense had shot down drones - not missiles. The nuclear facilities were also not damaged, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.

The Iranian air defense shot down some drones.

(Bild: Tasnim/kameraOne)

What happened next was remarkable in several respects: it took a comparatively long time before Iran issued an official statement on the incidents. And: unlike usual, Israel was not immediately blamed. It is not yet known who launched the drones, which is why no retaliatory measures are planned.

"Change in tone"
The day before, the Iranian ambassador to the UN threatened to change the country's nuclear doctrine if Israel retaliated. "There has been a change in tone," says Andreas Reinicke, Director of the German Orient Institute in Berlin and long-time ambassador to the region, as well as former EU Special Representative for the Middle East peace process, to the "Krone".

"Everything points to the fact that the situation is being scaled down. In Israel there are no major reports of victory, in Iran the attack was only a brief note in the media," says Reinicke. Postscript: "If Iran wanted to, it could make a huge fuss out of it now." After all, Friday was also the 85th birthday of the spiritual and secular leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israel's "Iron Dome" in action. Iran attacked Israel last weekend.

(Bild: Copyright 2023 The Associated Press All rights reserved)

In any case, the signs are pointing to de-escalation. And a turning point in Middle East diplomacy. Andreas Reinicke, a long-time diplomat in the Middle East, believes the time has come to return to politics and diplomacy. "I don't mean sanctions. I mean sitting down now and developing a system of collective security for the Middle East," says Reinicke. Similar to the OSCE in Europe in the 1970s.

"So far, we've simply lacked the courage"
"The time was not ripe for this for a long time. But nobody in the region wants a conflagration. Now everyone has seen how dangerous the situation can become. I believe the conditions for establishing such a system of collective security are better than ever before." However, this would require a solution to the Palestinian conflict. Reinicke also sees this as an opportunity for Europe to take up the issue. "Europe always says we can't do anything. But that's not true. So far, it has simply lacked the courage to do so."