The Israel-Iran War and the future of the Middle East

Speakers: Héloïse Fayet, Research Fellow and Head of the Deterrence and Proliferation Program, IFRI; Nimrod Goren, Co-Founder & Executive Board Member at Diplomeds - The Council for Mediterranean Diplomacy; President of the Mitvim Institute; Burcu Ozcelik, Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Security within the International Security department at RUSI; Adnan Tabatabai, Co-founder & CEO, Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO)

Moderator: Mihai Chihaia, Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre

Recent Israeli airstrikes targeting key Iranian nuclear and military facilities, followed by retaliatory missile and drone attacks from Iran, have pushed tensions to a dangerous new level. This conflict risks not only to derail fragile diplomatic efforts on Iran’s nuclear programme but also to destabilise the broader Middle East by drawing in other regional actors. This discussion assessed the positions of key regional powers, including Gulf states and Turkey, as well as the United States stance and possible involvement. We also discussed the EU’s potential role in de-escalating tensions, safeguarding nuclear diplomacy, and preventing wider conflict.