UK, French, German, Italian FMs to discuss Iran, Libya crisis

Foreign Ministers of the UK, France, Germany and Italy will hold talks at Brussels with EU diplomatic chief to discuss the raging issues of Iran and Libya. British foreign ministry reportedly said that the latest crisis in the Middle East after the death of Qassem Soleimani will be on the agenda of talks.

"The foreign secretary is travelling to Brussels today for talks with his European counterparts on the situation in the Middle East following the death of Soleimani and on the escalating conflict in Libya," said the foreign ministry. It added that the three European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal will hold discussions on the heightened tension between the US and Iran. 

Read: US-Iran Tensions: Know About The Laws Governing The Acts Of War

Haftar's army in Sirte

All four foreign ministers will meet to discuss the Libyan crisis as the self-styled Libyan National Army, headed by Khalifa Haftar, has seized Sirte, a coastal city. Libya is currently going through a severe political and humanitarian crisis after Haftar’s Army launched a battle against the Tripoli’s U.N.-recognised government. Thousands of Tripoli residents have been displaced due to the shelling that started earlier this year targeting the outskirts of the Libyan capital. 

Read: Death Of Iran General Spurs Anxiety Over Fate Of US Hostages

More than 1,40,000 Libyans have reportedly fled their homes to take shelter at a safer place. Many of those displaced Libyan citizens have taken refuge in various abandoned buildings and even on streets. But their plight has been compounded by the unavailability of running water, electricity, and even sewage pipeline. They complain that the government has provided no help, not even moral support, in these tough times.

Meanwhile, the US-Iran relations have taken an ugly turn after attacks on the American embassy in Baghdad followed by drone strike that killed top Iranian commander. The Iranian parliament has approved a motion to designate the US Military and Department of Defense as ‘terrorist organisations’. Last year, the United States had designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

Read: Geopolitical Tensions At Their Highest Level This Century: UN Chief Amid US-Iran Tension

Read: NATO Chief Tells Iran To Avoid 'further Violence And Provocations'

(With inputs from agencies)