European Union

After the initial failure of peace talks with Iran, the US has begun its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. According to the US millitary, six merchant ships arriving from Iran have been forced to turn back within the first 24 hours. President Trump has said that a key reason for the blockade is to prevent transit tolls from falling into the hands of the regime in Tehran. What consequences could this provoke?

US President Donald Trump has hit back at Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after she described his tirade against Pope Leo XIV as "unacceptable". Trump replied saying: "She is the one who is unacceptable, because she doesn't care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy up in two minutes if it had the chance!"

For the first time in history, a US president has verbally attacked the Pope. In a lengthy social media post Donald Trump said the Pontiff was "terrible for foreign policy" and was damaging the Catholic Church. Leo XIV has repeatedly criticised Trump's policies, from migration policy to the war in Iran, albeit indirectly. In response to Trump's tirade, the pope said he was proclaiming the message of the Gospel.

Les séparatistes affirment que leur décision témoigne de responsabilité, de retenue et de respect de la dignité humaine.

An extraordinary SEDE meeting will be held on Wednesday, 15 April 2026 from 13.30 - 15.00 in Brussels (room SPINELLI 3E2).

The next meeting of the Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 6 May 2026 from 9.00-12.30 and 14.30 - 18.30 and on Thursday, 7 May 2026 from 9.00-12.30 in Brussels (room SPAAK 1A2).

Further information about the SEDE meetings can be found here._______________________
SEDE missions 2026:

• Taiwan - 30 March - 2 April 2026
• Poland and Czechia - 16-18 February 2026
• Ukraine - 5-6 February 2026

SEDE missions 2025:

• Djibouti - 27-29 October 2025
  
• Greenland - 15-19 September 2025
  
• Norway - 27-30 May 2025
• Moldova and Ukraine - 14-17 April 2025
  
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - 24-27 February 2025
• Israel and Palestine - 5-8 February 2025

SEDE missions 2024:

• United Kingdom - 28-30 October 2024
• Ukraine - 25-26 October 2024

SEDE Committee meetings' calendar 2026
SEDE Committee meetings' calendar 2025
EP calendar 2026
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

As the conflict enters its fourth year, journalist Mohamed Suleiman shudders at what has been lost.

The move follow the electoral defeat of Viktor Orbán, one of the Slovakian prime minister's closest allies

The conflict, which erupted in 2023, has left behind a human toll which is "simply staggering", reports the BBC's Barbara Plett Usher.

La guerre menée par les États-Unis et Israël contre l'Iran a une fois de plus mis en lumière la richesse en hydrocarbures de cette région, qui se trouve désormais au cœur d'une crise énergétique mondiale.

Length of video : 60'

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP