Mar 08, 2026
3 min read
Felipe VI called for an end to the use of force and called for a diplomatic solution, but stopped short of pointing out the illegitimacy of Iran's attack.
King balances Middle East war without consensus
Felipe VI calls for restraint in the use of force and calls for a diplomatic solution, but does not mention the illegality of the attack on Iran.
The King's talks are arranged between La Zarzuela and La Moncloa, with the participation of the ministry concerned in each case.For this reason, they never disagree with what the government says, even if they don't agree with it 100%.They walk in the area of agreement between the major political powers, even if it is at the price of leaving out too many problems.The problem is that the agreement is so small that it is difficult to enter it.
This comes with a war that broke out in the Middle East last Saturday when the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran.European countries were divided, adopting a number of positions, from Germany's unconditional support for Washington to Spain's unequivocal rejection.This division has been transferred to the domestic arena: the right (PP and Vox) agree with Donald Trump, while the left (led by the PSOE) believes that aggression is illegal.However, in his speeches, the king cannot ignore the war that has already ignited the Middle East and whose consequences, but not only economic ones, threaten the rest of the world.
Last week, 24 hours after the attack, Felipe VI spoke for the first time about the conflict at a dinner before the opening of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona."As we speak, the Middle East is once again approaching a major crossroads, with the risk of regional escalation with unpredictable consequences," he said in English.We make this call to avoid a chaotic situation and open repression and to restore dialogue so that we can honestly seek peace," he added. He called for an immediate end to the violence before it is too late.
On the sixth day of the war, Felipe VI mentioned the conflict once again at a lunch given by the monarchs to the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg visiting Spain at the Royal Palace this Thursday.His words were very similar to those of Sunday, with one difference: the landscape has changed since then, as governments and political forces that were not yet clearly defined have left.
"We are watching with great concern and concern the very serious and dangerous situation that the Middle East and the Gulf region is witnessing.
That is, he supported a diplomatic solution, in front of those who choose to use violence as a solution to the problem, but it does not appear in the United States and Israel as the authors.implicitly referring to the Ayatollah's rule;and also show solidarity between those countries that have a sense of support for the conflict, as a reference to the governments of the Gulf.
After referring much more clearly to the "Russian war of aggression against Ukraine", he raised the only flag that PSOE and PP still seem to share, Europeanism: "We need a Europe with greater strategic sovereignty that moves towards a genuine Europe of security and defence, even more based on solidarity and responsibility, even more open and prosperous, even more capable of clearly asserting our voice in the world and asserting and affirming its common identity."
What seems certain is that the Kings' State trip to Washington, which was forced to postpone due to the pandemic in 2020 and was even considered to take place this year, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, will have to continue to wait.But with the unpredictable Trump, you never know.
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