With extremely cautious formulations, outgoing Prime Minister Dick Schoof responded to the American bombing on nuclear installations in Iran on Sunday. He did not express support for it and did not condemn them either. Schoof did a “clamping appeal,” without saying on whom, “to prevent further escalation and to exercise restraint.”
Schoof made these statements after a inserted meeting of the National Security Council, with the most involved ministers in the field of safety and international relations.
The Netherlands is also concerned about the nuclear ambitions of Iran, said Schoof. At the same time, he called the American attacks “a rapid escalation of an already extremely worrying situation in the Middle East.” He answered evasively to the question of journalists or Schoof says that the United States have escalated. “We note that Israel and the United States do not accept the nuclear threat that comes from Iran,” he said.
For the Netherlands, the bombing did not come as a surprise, said Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans (VVD) earlier in the day in TV program WNL on Sunday. Although the Netherlands is not “formally” informed about it.
Concept of Yesilgöz
Members of the House of Representatives responded much more. VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz showed in a message on X understanding for the US. She called the Iranian nuclear program “an existential threat” for Israel and “the rest of the free world.” The US has “taken action now to limit that threat”. Yesilgöz repeatedly repeated a statement by the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: “Israel is currently recovering the dirty work for the West in Iran.”
Many other parties condemned the US. D66 MP Jan Paternotte called the attack “a reckless adventure.” According to think leader Stephan van Baarle, US President Donald Trump is now “complicit in the illegal war of criminal Netanyahu.” “The Netherlands must reject this fiercely and exert all possible pressure.”
‘Diplomacy not worked out’
According to GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans, Iran has for years complied with the earlier nuclear agreement with that country, until 2018 President Trump withdrew the US from that agreement. “The diplomatic track could be walked with Iran,” Timmermans said in TV program Buitenhof. According to him, the fact that the US now opted for military intervention is contrary to international law. “Because the diplomatic means have not yet been worked out.”
Schoof did not want to comment on possible violation of international law on Sunday. “I currently have insufficient information for that.” It did, however, acknowledge that negotiations ultimately “the only way” are “to a sustainable solution.”
Does the prime minister think that the Iranian willingness to such conversations has increased after this attack? He hopes, said Schoof. “There will undoubtedly be some time.”
With the cooperation of Ruben Stift