Netherlands “understands” Israeli, U.S. attacks on Iran but warns of escalation

The Netherlands “understands” the Israeli and American attacks on Iran, but also expresses concern about a possible escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said Monday.

Berendsen, speaking on behalf of the Dutch government, described Iran’s leadership as “a murderous regime” that poses a threat to neighboring states and the world. While saying the government “understands” the rationale behind the strikes by Israel and the United States, Berendsen stopped short of expressing explicit support for the attacks.

He sharply condemned Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Gulf states, saying those counterattacks had “absolutely nothing to do with this conflict.” Berendsen said the priority should be to restore stability in the region as soon as possible, adding that achieving that stability will require diplomatic solutions rather than further military escalation.

To underscore the threat Iran poses, he pointed to the country’s nuclear program and its support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also noted that, according to Dutch intelligence services, “the long arm of Iran” has reached into the Netherlands, where Tehran was behind the murders of two Iranians in 2015 and 2017.

Asked whether the attacks by the United States and Israel align with international law, Berendsen did not take a position. He said there are “legitimate questions” about that issue but suggested that international law “is not the only framework” for evaluating the situation, again referencing what he called “the murderous nature of the regime in Iran.”