Russia is the only winner of Iran war so far, says EU Council President Costa

Russia is the only winner of the Iran war so far, benefiting from it in several ways. European Council President António Costa said this today. The European Union must seek to prevent further escalation in the region, the head of EU summits added.

US-Israeli strikes on Iran have been underway for 11 days, during which oil and natural gas prices have risen sharply as a result of Iranian retaliation.

"So far, Russia is the only winner of this war. Rising energy prices are giving it new resources to finance its war against Ukraine," Costa said in a speech today to EU ambassadors around the world.

Moscow is also benefiting, he said, from the fact that some of Ukraine's allies are concentrating their military resources on the Middle East instead of directing them towards helping Kyiv. Russia also benefits from international attention now being focused on Iran, when it had previously been focused on Russia's war.

"Freedom and human rights cannot be achieved with bombs. Only international law can uphold them," Costa said, criticising the US-Israeli strikes.

EU countries should seek to prevent the conflict from escalating further and spreading to other parts of the region, he said.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the war was nearing its end. He also threatened Iran with significantly harsher strikes than those carried out so far if it tries to halt oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Only a handful of ships are currently passing through it, contributing to rising fuel prices.