The EU Just Tried to Lecture Iran – It Didn't Go Well

Right, so if hypocrisy were a marketable commodity, because if it was Brussels could probably power the entire continent for the next century. The European Union’s refusal to sanction Israel, even as famine spreads through Gaza, Stage 5 malnutrition threatens the lives of tens of thousands and as Israel’s genocide pushes towards its 22nd month, has shattered any pretence that Europe stands for the so-called “rules-based international order,” which is really just a euphemism to preserve western interests att he expense of everyone else. To add insult to injury, the same EU that has decided it will very much continue to turn a blind eye to an actual, ongoing genocide has been posturing as the moral authority over nuclear negotiations when Iran—lecturing Tehran on international law and threatening sanctions if they don’t engage with them, even as Iran are very much still recovering from the unprovoked strikes on their nuclear sites, by the apparently completely innocent of anything Israel. The EU has abdicated any sense of moral authority here, where Israel’s victims face sanctions, but Israel remains untouchable. Well people aren’t going to stand for it and if the glaring double standards aren’t going to be pointed out by our hopeless western media, well alternatives like this channel, absolutely will.
Right, so the humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic to the point of being historically unprecedented in scale and severity for such a short timeframe. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), over one million Palestinian children are now facing starvation due to Israel’s total siege, half the population of Gaza as that is, which has systematically blocked food, medical supplies, and fuel from entering. Press TV, citing UNRWA’s warnings, has highlighted how this siege is not an unfortunate by-product of war but an intentional strategy designed to starve Gaza into submission. At the same time, Israeli settlement expansion and forced displacement continue apace in the West Bank, with UN reports confirming that 69 Palestinian communities have been uprooted in recent months, the textbook definition of ethnic cleansing as that is.
Amnesty International has been unequivocal in its condemnation, describing the EU’s failure to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel as “greenlighting” further atrocities. Even the Guardian, as both-sidesing as it can be as published a piece with a scathing editorial headline, labelling Europe’s stance as “a cruel and unlawful betrayal of the Palestinian people.” Even the Spanish outlet El País, which is often cautious in its criticism of EU policy, has run detailed reports questioning the “opacity” of Europe’s so-called humanitarian arrangements with Israel, which appear to be little more than a public relations fig leaf while the genocide continues unabated. European governments have provided no credible evidence that their diplomatic engagement with Israel is delivering any meaningful humanitarian relief. Instead, this diplomatic charade serves only to delay any real accountability and people are sick of it.
Public outrage has been widespread and increasingly confrontational. In Brussels, Berlin, Paris, and other major cities, thousands have marched under banners accusing the EU of complicity in genocide. Polling data published by European outlets has consistently shown strong public support for sanctions, particularly in Spain, Belgium, and Ireland. Yet Palestinian representatives have been met not with solidarity but with what they describe as indifference or outright contempt. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told Euronews that he was “shocked” by the EU’s failure to take even minimal punitive measures, accusing Brussels of abandoning the very human rights framework it claims to uphold. His frustration was underscored by the chilling reality that, even as protests rage and reports of mass civilian casualties dominate headlines, the EU has not suspended a single arms export licence to Israel.
Meanwhile, Israel has treated Europe’s cowardice as a diplomatic triumph. Euronews reported that Israeli officials openly celebrated the EU’s decision not to impose sanctions, describing it as proof that Europe “understands Israel’s security concerns.” Israeli ministers have used these statements to claim a propaganda victory, arguing that international criticism of its actions is limited to “fringe” states. This reaction underlines a really bleak truth: in Tel Aviv, Europe’s inaction is not interpreted as neutrality, but as an endorsement.
Europe’s paralysis over Gaza is not the result of misunderstanding or lack of information either. It is the outcome of calculated political cowardice and economic opportunism. The question that needs answering is why a bloc that reacted to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with sweeping sanctions, energy bans, and asset freezes refuses to impose even symbolic measures against Israel, a state facing credible allegations of genocide.
Economic interests are at the heart of this double standard. Israel is a major supplier of military technology, cybersecurity tools, and surveillance systems used by European governments. German and Italian arms exports to Israel have surged since October 2023. According to analyses cited by Anadolu Agency, the EU’s dependence on Israeli spyware and missile components has become a serious factor in policymaking. Additionally, the EU’s energy crisis following its pivot away from Russian gas has made Eastern Mediterranean gas fields, particularly those involving Israel, strategically more valuable. Any move to sanction Israel therefore, could disrupt fragile energy diversification plans and threaten contracts signed with Israel, Egypt, and Cyprus.
Political and diplomatic pressures also loom large. The EU’s foreign policy is still tethered to Washington, and the Trump administration has made clear that any European sanctions on Israel would be seen as hostile and unacceptable. Given Europe’s dependence on NATO and US security guarantees, particularly for frontline states such as Poland and the Baltic nations, defying Washington is considered too politically costly. Germany’s extreme pro-Israel stance, rooted in Holocaust guilt weaponised into unconditional political support, has further locked the EU into an untenable position. As Hungarian Conservative has noted, states like Hungary and Czechia have been actively lobbying against any sanctions and framing them as “anti-Israel bias.” Par for the course for a fascist like Netanyahu’s bestie Viktor Orban.
The weaponisation of antisemitism accusations has created an additional chilling effect on EU policy debates. Pro-Israel lobby groups wield enormous influence, and any politician advocating for sanctions risks being branded antisemitic, regardless of whether their criticism focuses strictly on government policies.
Finally, the EU’s institutional structure itself is a major obstacle. The unanimity requirement for foreign policy decisions effectively hands veto power to pro-Israel governments. Even if a majority of EU members wanted to impose sanctions, Germany, Hungary, and Czechia can block any meaningful action.
If Europe’s refusal to sanction Israel has exposed its moral bankruptcy, its simultaneous pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme has made that bankruptcy absurd. As we know, last month, Israeli forces carried out unprovoked strikes on Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities, together with the US - acts of aggression that violate the UN Charter’s prohibition on the use of force. Yet the EU has remained silent, treating Iran as the destabilising actor while refusing to hold Israel accountable.
The European troika, or E3—Germany, France, and the UK—has been particularly brazen in its hypocrisy. As Press TV reported, Iranian officials have flatly rejected European attempts to invoke the JCPOA’s snapback mechanism, arguing that the E3 “lacks legal, political, or moral standing” given its complicity in Israel’s aggression. Iranian Foreign Ministry officials summed up the situation with biting accuracy: “Europeans cannot be both the arsonists and the fire brigade.” Where various media have confirmed that negotiations are set to resume, Tehran is approaching them with visible contempt, under the threat of sanctions the EU are blatantly and hypocritically weaponising, viewing the E3 as acting in bad faith and its difficult, when compared to Israel to suggest otherwise.
The legal contradictions are glaring. Iran remains a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty even if it has left IAEA monitoring, and all despite the disruptions caused by Israel’s unprovoked attacks. Israel, by contrast, is a nuclear-armed state outside the NPT, with an undeclared arsenal and a very fresh history of assassinating Iranian scientists and sabotaging civilian nuclear infrastructure now. Yet the EU treats Iran as the threat to global security while providing diplomatic cover for Israel. This double standard does not merely undermine Europe’s credibility; it erodes the legitimacy of the very international treaties the EU claims to uphold.
Europe’s refusal to sanction Israel while lecturing Iran has provoked anger both domestically and internationally. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Médecins Sans Frontières have all issued statements condemning Europe’s failure to hold Israel accountable. Protests across Europe have grown larger and more confrontational, particularly among Arab and Muslim communities who see the EU’s inaction as a direct endorsement of genocide and so is Israel though they’d choose different words of course.
Globally, the EU’s reputation has been severely damaged. In much of the Global South, Europe is now viewed as Washington’s vassal, much as Israel is. Various independent, alternative and foreign media have mocked Europe’s selective application of international law, contrasting its furious reaction to Russian aggression in Ukraine with its silence over Israeli war crimes. Iranian, Russian, and Chinese officials routinely cite Gaza as proof that the West’s “rules-based order” but that it is not order – it is nothing more than a political tool wielded against adversaries while allies are given impunity.
The long-term consequences will be profound if something doesn’t change. Strategically, Europe is alienating potential partners in the Middle East and accelerating the shift towards a multipolar world order. Iran is deepening its alliances with Russia and China, while Arab publics increasingly view Europe with contempt. Domestically, the EU’s refusal to act is fuelling unrest, with mass protests becoming regular features in major cities.
Most damaging of all is the erosion of Europe’s soft power. The EU has long claimed to be a moral actor, a defender of human rights and international law. That claim is now in tatters. Europe’s credibility as a neutral mediator is effectively gone and you don’t get that back so easily.
The EU’s behaviour over Gaza and Iran is not just hypocritical; it is morally catastrophic. By refusing to sanction Israel while pressuring Iran, Europe has exposed itself as a partisan actor applying international law selectively, sacrificing principle for profit and political convenience. It has alienated the Global South, enraged its own citizens, and undermined its claim to be a defender of justice.
When the history of this moment is written, the EU will not be remembered as a protector of human rights or a guardian of international law. It will be remembered as the collaborator that looked away as famine spread through Gaza, as a never again moment happened again and they let it and applauded as Israel bombed Iranian nuclear facilities, as they claim to make the world safer, when Iran was working on energy solutions and nuclear medicine breakthroughs. All while posturing as the world’s moral conscience. Well the truth is they have no conscience. They sold it out, to thunderous applause.
Fundamentally what we’re looking at here is another example of lawfare being selectively applied – and in a story that turns the tables somewhat on the one you’ve just watched, it’s Iran that has found a way to turn lawfare to its own advantage – and against Israel. Check out all the details of that story in this video recommendation here as your suggested next watch.
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