Europe’s week: Trump in Ireland and IAEA conference in Vienna

TEHRAN — Trump’s visit to Ireland, the annual State of the Union address by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, changes in the leadership of Serbia and Sweden, renewed US-German defence cooperation and developments at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s general conference were among the main events in Europe during the past week.

### Trump voices support for a united Ireland

During his visit to Ireland, US President Donald Trump said he supported the reunification of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Sitting alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Trump said he could not understand why Northern Ireland had not joined the Republic, given that the rest of the island had gained independence about a century ago.

“I would love to see the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland unite. I think it would be a wonderful thing. Ultimately, it will happen,” Trump said, adding that the United Kingdom would also have a say in the matter.

His remarks presented a politically sensitive scenario for unionists in Northern Ireland, who want the territory to remain part of the United Kingdom.

### US and Germany promote ‘NATO 3.0’

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius met at the Pentagon to discuss a proposed framework referred to as “NATO 3.0,” higher European defence spending and the defence industries of the two countries.

Hegseth said the meeting marked another important step toward strengthening defence-industrial cooperation between the United States and Germany. He has previously called on NATO members to spend more on defence, while Trump has set a target of 5% of gross domestic product for defence-related spending.

Hegseth has said that the proposed changes should also include greater military readiness, increased weapons production and stronger participation by NATO members. He described Germany as being at the forefront of advancing the initiative.

Pistorius said Germany was significantly increasing its defence spending and supported the “NATO 3.0” vision and a fairer distribution of responsibility for the alliance’s defence. He said Germany wanted to help relieve the burden on the United States and assume primary responsibility for conventional deterrence in Europe.

### Von der Leyen highlights Europe’s energy costs

In her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, von der Leyen said Europe had felt the consequences of its dependence on imported fossil fuels through sharply higher energy costs.

Referring to disruptions to energy routes from the Persian Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz, she said the European Union could not maintain its industrial strength while energy prices remained structurally high. She called for greater use of energy produced within Europe, including renewable energy, nuclear power and biogas.

Von der Leyen also said that the conflict involving Iran had imposed an additional cost of €90 billion on Europe. She had previously said that, during the first 44 days of the conflict, higher fossil-fuel prices had cost the European Union more than €22 billion without providing it with “even one additional molecule of energy.”

### Leaders in Serbia and Sweden announce departures

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said he would step down on 27 September. He had earlier approved the dissolution of parliament and set 25 October as the date for early elections. Vučić later said he would resign at the end of September and run in the parliamentary elections as an ordinary citizen.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also announced his resignation after his party’s defeat in parliamentary elections. In a post on X, he said he had asked to be relieved of his position so that the process of forming a new government could begin without delay.

### IAEA conference considers protection of nuclear facilities

The 70th General Conference of the IAEA opened in Vienna with an agenda covering the agency’s annual report, nuclear science and technology, technical cooperation, safeguards implementation and a proposed discussion on banning attacks against nuclear facilities.

Iran formally asked the IAEA Secretariat to include on the agenda a proposal concerning “the prohibition of all forms of attack and threats of attack against nuclear sites and facilities under IAEA safeguards and dedicated to peaceful purposes.”

In an explanatory note, Iran said that attacks or threats against safeguarded nuclear facilities could create serious risks to nuclear safety and security, undermine the credibility of the IAEA safeguards system and disrupt peaceful nuclear activities. Iran also argued that such actions would conflict with the IAEA statute, fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter’s prohibition on the threat or use of force.

At the conference, Reza Najafi, Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to international organisations in Vienna, protested what he described as the prevention of Iran’s vice president and head of the Atomic Energy Organization from attending the meeting.

Najafi said the action was not a minor administrative issue or human error but a serious violation of Iran’s rights as an IAEA member. He argued that preventing the head of Iran’s delegation from attending violated the principle of sovereign equality in Article IV, paragraph C, of the IAEA statute and restricted Iran’s right to participate through a representative of its own choosing.