When the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday morning, “few” people in Europe were informed in advance that the airstrikes were about to begin, a senior EU lawmaker told CNBC.

Hannah Neumann, a member of the European Parliament and head of the delegation on Iran relations, said on Tuesday that “very few people were informed about this.”

She told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” that even German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the leader of the EU’s largest economy, was given “a few minutes’ notice.”

The lack of attention reflects the fact that Europe is largely on the sidelines four days after conflict in the Middle East intensified as its wider economic fallout means upheaval could occur on the continent.

Released by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Alberto Costa preliminary statement On Saturday, the European Union was following developments with concern and said it was “firmly committed to maintaining regional security and stability.”

On Sunday, the EU said it would protect the bloc’s security and interests “including through additional sanctions”. But Mertz appeared to distance himself from that, saying sanctions were not working and the use of force was appropriate.

He said: “We are not prepared to use military force if necessary to safeguard fundamental interests. Therefore, now is not the time to preach to our partners and allies. Despite our misgivings, we share many goals with them, but we cannot truly achieve them ourselves.” IThere are lectures on Sunday.

One area where Europe can exert influence over the United States is in Washington’s use of its military bases, which allows it to launch attacks more easily.

Britain falls out of favor Trump initially refused to give U.S. permission use of its military bases, only to make a U-turn on Monday to allow them to be used for “defensive” strikes against Iranian missile sites.

Trump gave interviews to two British newspapers that condemned Prime Minister Keir Starmer despite his change of heart.

He told the Daily Telegraph he “Very disappointed” and that it “took too long” for the United States to be allowed to use British bases. Trump told The Sun that the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom “is not what it used to be.”

EU expresses support for US goals Prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear arsenalBut the continent’s leaders are concerned about whether the military action violates international law.

“Iran’s full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and compliance with Iran’s legal obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement are crucial, with nuclear safety a top priority,” the EU said in a statement on Sunday.

Neumann, a member of the European Parliament, told CNBC that the EU’s top priority is to deal with the impact on the EU and “see what we can do together with our Gulf partners to de-escalate the situation.”

Asked whether the EU had little chance of having a stake in easing tensions, Neumann said it should still try to reason with the Tehran regime despite its retaliatory attacks across the Gulf and little appetite for diplomacy.

“Iran’s retaliatory actions are very serious. They appear to be larger than expected… so we can and should use diplomatic channels, and we still have to get someone in the regime to reconsider this escalation,” she said.

“We also need to work together, and this is something we only the EU can do together, to see how we can best evacuate European citizens from the area and how we can create some buffers in our energy security but also in our transport chains in case the situation continues as it is, especially Strait of Hormuz continues to be blocked,” she said.

CNBC has reached out to the EU for further comment on its stance on U.S.-Israeli military action and the level of communication with the White House on the current conflict.

Carl Bildt, former Swedish prime minister and co-chairman of the European Council on Foreign Relations, defended the EU in an interview with CNBC on Monday, saying the U.S. outcome was unclear.

“What we’re seeing now is not a rosy picture of U.S. policy coherence. Obviously, this is something that the president decided in a very uncertain way. If you listen to him, why he went to war, there’s no clear explanation for that,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe.”

“When you start a war, you should have a reason. You should have a goal (in this case), and neither case is clear… which adds to the overall uncertainty of the situation,” he said.