Middle East crisis Reactions

Analysis: Europe in a difficult position – two wars about to become one

The US war on Iran has put Europe's leaders in an impossible position. The pressure to act to bring down the skyrocketing fuel prices is increasing from their voters, at the same time they risk being punished by the same voters if they join the war, writes the New York Times' Mark Landler in an analysis. That option is seen as politically untenable, he writes.

For Europe, Russia remains the greatest danger – and every step that Donald Trump takes in the Middle East has economic, diplomatic and geopolitical consequences for Ukraine, writes The Telegraph's foreign correspondent Adrian Blomfield. Although Trump denies it, the two wars are becoming one, he notes in an analysis.

So far, the Iranians do not seem willing to end the war that Trump started. The clock is ticking and the question is whether it is already too late for him to negotiate a way out, writes CNN's Stephen Collinson. The war could then develop into a catastrophic spiral with consequences that are “too terrible to imagine”.

The war causes health risks for decades to come

The war in Iran risks causing long-term environmental and health damage, reports AP.

The warning comes from the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, which uses satellite monitoring to try to identify the damage and risks to people and ecosystems.

Emissions from burning oil depots, sunken ships and attacks on industries spread toxic substances that could pose health risks for decades to come.

– All this means pollution, says Iranian researcher Kaveh Madani to the news agency.