The Dutch cabinet has expressed regret over Israel’s overnight attacks on Iran, with prime minister Dick Schoof describing them as “alarming” and urging everyone involved to “maintain calm and refrain from further attacks and reprisals.”

Acting foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp called for “maximum constraint” and said he had spoken to his counterparts in Israel and Iran and called for a swift return to negotiations aimed at “sustainable stability”.

“We regret that Israel felt compelled to initiate this military action,” Veldkamp said, referring to the overnight attacks targeting Iranian military leadership and nuclear facilities. He added that the Dutch government does not know what specific information prompted Israel’s actions.

The strikes come amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and growing international concern about Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Israel has said the action was necessary to disrupt Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons programme, which Tehran continues to deny.

Veldkamp emphasised that Israel is not alone in its concerns. “The worries about Iran’s nuclear programme are shared internationally. The most sustainable way to remove that threat is through negotiation,” he said.

Acting defence minister Ruben Brekelmans warned that the situation in the Middle East is escalating.

“This causes us great concern,” he said. “Of course, we are also worried about Iran’s nuclear development. The concern that Iran may eventually deploy nuclear weapons is justified. But that does not mean that military intervention now is the right response. We have consistently opted for the diplomatic route.”

Parliament divided 

GL–PvdA leader Frans Timmermans urged the use of “all diplomatic means to prevent escalation and bloodshed” while VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz warned that “this new regional war” could also affect Europe and underlined the importance of defence spending and international diplomacy.

VVD MP Ulysse Ellian, whose father fled the Iranian regime, said on social media that “the Persian lion will arise”. The Iranian people, he said, “want nothing more than freedom and for this mullah regime with its revolutionary guard to come to an end”.

“Rising Lion”.

De Perzische leeuw zal herrijzen. De Iraanse bevolking wil niets liever dan vrijheid en dit mullah regime met de revolutionaire garde zal tot een einde komen. ✌🏻 pic.twitter.com/A3C713Xgxy

— Ulysse Ellian (@UlysseEllian) June 13, 2025

Geert Wilders, leader of the far right PVV and staunch supporter of Israel, thanked Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for acting against “the terrorist Islamic state Iran and its nuclear capabilities that, with its evil intentions, pose a serious threat to Israel and the entire world”.