The war with Iran is forcing Europe to confront a difficult question: how to respond to Tehran without undermining the Western effort to support Ukraine.

For more than two years, Europe’s security agenda has been dominated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Governments across the continent have invested political capital, military resources, and diplomatic energy into sustaining Kyiv’s resistance. The sudden escalation with Iran now risks complicating that effort, raising concerns that a new Middle Eastern crisis could divert attention, weapons, and political focus away from Europe’s most immediate war.