EU Council chief says escalation in Iran 'will not achieve ceasefire and peace'

European Council President Antonio Costa said on Monday that escalation in Iran will not bring a ceasefire or peace, and called for negotiations to continue.

"Escalation will not achieve a ceasefire and peace. Only negotiations will, namely the ongoing efforts led by regional partners," Costa said through the US social media company X.

He noted that only a diplomatic solution will settle the root causes of the war in the Middle East.

"Any targeting of civilian infrastructure, namely energy facilities, is illegal and unacceptable. This applies to Russia's war in Ukraine and it applies everywhere," he added.

Costa further said that Iran's civil population would be the "main victim of a widening of the military campaign."

"As I stressed in my recent call with the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, the European Union urges Iran to immediately put an end to its attacks against countries in the region and to allow for the reestablishment of full freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz," he added.

Regional tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing so far over 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.