Europe today stands at one of the most consequential crossroads in its modern history. As the United States and Israel confront the murderous Islamic Republic of Iran directly, European leaders must decide whether they will defend the democratic order that has defined the continent since World War II, or continue the pattern of hesitation that has allowed the Iranian regime and its proxies to expand their regional and global reach.
For decades, Europe has been the beneficiary of a post-war system built upon peace, democracy, and the rule of law. It emerged from the devastation of two world wars that claimed more than 80 million lives. The creation of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, the precursor to today’s European Union, was designed specifically to prevent the return of such catastrophe by binding nations together economically and politically.
For more than seventy years, that vision succeeded. However, today the foundations of that order are being tested by a regime that openly seeks to undermine it.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has long been recognized by the United States as the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, a designation it has held for nearly four decades. Tehran has spent tens of billions of dollars funding and arming a global network of proxy groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shiite militias across Iraq and Syria.
These groups have not only destabilized the Middle East, they have also brought violence, bloodshed and intimidation to Europe itself.
European security agencies have uncovered numerous Iranian-linked terror plots across the continent. One of the most notorious occurred in 2018, when an Iranian diplomat was convicted for orchestrating a planned bombing of an Iranian opposition rally near Paris attended by thousands, including European and American officials. Other Iranian-backed operations have targeted dissidents and Jewish institutions in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, and elsewhere.
This threat is not theoretical. It is present and growing.
Since the October 7th massacre carried out by Hamas, an organization funded and armed by Tehran, antisemitism across Europe has surged dramatically. Jewish communities have experienced attacks on synagogues, vandalism of institutions, and violence against individuals. In recent weeks alone, following the escalation of the war with Iran, several synagogues across Europe have been targeted once again.
Europe’s roughly 550,000 Jewish citizens are increasingly on the front lines of this ideological struggle.
Yet despite the clear threat, Europe’s response has often been hesitant and fragmented.
Some leaders have begun to acknowledge the scale of the danger. Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has voiced strong support for confronting the Iranian regime and emphasized Israel’s right to defend itself. France has deployed naval assets to help secure the Eastern Mediterranean and protect regional allies. The United Kingdom has permitted the use of its bases in Cyprus to assist in defensive operations and intelligence coordination.
Other countries, including Poland and the Czech Republic, have offered clear political backing for efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional aggression. Italy, Greece, and the Netherlands have contributed naval forces to regional security missions.
These steps are welcome.
Nevertheless, they remain insufficient.
At the same time that European leaders condemn Tehran’s actions, economic and diplomatic ties with the Iranian regime persist. Trade continues. Iranian diplomatic networks operate across European capitals. Enforcement of sanctions remains inconsistent.
Symbolic declarations cannot substitute for meaningful action.
If Europe truly recognizes Iran as a central driver of global instability, then the response must reflect that reality.
The EU made an important recent step by proscribing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) recently. However, it must follow this up by dismantling its operational infrastructure across Europe. It means freezing assets, restricting technology transfers, and expelling diplomatic operatives linked to terror activity, tightening sanctions to fully isolate the regime’s financial networks.
Most importantly, it means recognizing that the current conflict is not simply another Middle Eastern war.
What began in the aftermath of the October 7th massacre as a regional crisis has now evolved into something far larger, a direct confrontation between the Iranian regime and the Western alliance. Tehran’s expansive missile and drone capabilities, its nuclear ambitions, and its global terror networks represent a strategic threat that extends well beyond the Middle East.
Indeed, the war that erupted on February 28th has already demonstrated how Iran’s aggression reaches far beyond the battlefield. Iranian proxies and influence networks have attempted to target Western interests, disrupt global shipping routes, and incite unrest across multiple continents.
This is why the current moment represents a potential genuine turning point.
The United States and Israel have chosen to confront the source of the instability rather than merely contain its symptoms. By targeting Iran’s military infrastructure, missile systems, and nuclear capabilities, they aim to dismantle the mechanisms through which Tehran projects violence across the region and beyond.
Europe must now decide whether it will support this effort or stand on the sidelines. European leaders should not hide behind “international law” and choose passivity over action in the face of a repressive and murderous regime.
History offers a clear lesson. Appeasement of fanatical regimes that openly call for the destruction of democratic societies rarely leads to stability. It leads to emboldenment.
For Europe, the stakes are not abstract. The security of its citizens, the freedom of the Iranian people who have been suffering for 47 years now, the safety of its Jewish communities, and the integrity of the democratic order it built after 1945 are all on the line.
The continent’s leaders often speak about defending the values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Today those values require more than speeches.
They require courage.
Europe helped build the modern Western alliance. Now it must decide whether it is prepared to defend it.
At this historic moment, hesitation is not neutrality. It is vulnerability.
The cost of complacency may prove far greater than the cost of action.
The writer is Director of European Affairs of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM).