Why does Finland want to get involved in Iran?

Despite generic calls for dialogue and restraint, some EU leaders are looking for opportunities to involve themselves in the US-Israeli war on Iran. Finland’s Alexander Stubb has emerged as the leader of a small, pro-war bloc in Europe.

The EU’s position on the war thus far has been one of detachment. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz all noted that the US and Israel attacked Iran in violation of international law, but refused to outright condemn President Donald Trump or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Even as they saved their strongest condemnations for Iran itself, the EU’s leaders have rejected Trump’s repeated calls that they send military forces to escort shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

“This is not Europe’s war,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters on Monday, adding that while “it is in our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open,” there is “no appetite” in Brussels to expand Operation Aspides, the bloc’s maritime security mission in the Red Sea.

What did Stubb say about Iran?

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, however, has pushed for EU involvement in the war. “Those countries that have the capacity and the will to help the United States will do that, and should do that,” he told Bloomberg on Monday, referring to Trump’s call for aid in the Strait of Hormuz.

During an appearance in London the following day, a reporter suggested that Stubb offer Trump a quid-pro-quo: EU states send naval forces to the Strait of Hormuz, in exchange for the US granting Ukraine increased political and military support to give Kiev a leg up in peace negotiations with Russia.

“I think it’s a really good idea,” he said, before reiterating: “No, I think it’s actually a really good idea.” Stubb said that he would consider the proposal and discuss it with his staff.

Why does Stubb want to join the US in Iran?

Finland’s combat fleet consists of only eight light missile boats and ten minesweepers, and Stubb has little to gain from placing them in harm’s way in the Strait of Hormuz. The war on Iran has very little public support in the EU, and even if it did, the bloc’s largest militaries could not hope to meaningfully sway the outcome.