IDM Director Sebastian Schäffer on QNews: European Diplomacy as the Key to US-Iran De-escalation
IDM Director Sebastian Schäffer was invited as an expert guest on QNews’s In-Depthprogramme to analyse the rapidly evolving US-Iran standoff, Pakistan’s mediation role, and the prospects for European diplomaticengagement. The interview was recorded on the sidelines of the Globsec Forum in Prague, where Schäffer participated alongside international colleagues discussing the very same geopolitical fault lines.
Schäffer argued that the current crisis presents a defining moment for the European Union to demonstrate its value as a reliable and independent diplomatic actor. Drawing on the EU’s track record in the JCPOA process, where European institutions served as honest brokers for nearly a decade, he made the case that Brussels remains the most credible neutral party capable of bridging the trust gap between Washington and Tehran. “I would always choose the European Union,” he stated plainly when pressed on alternatives.
On the question of China’s potential mediation role, Schäffer acknowledged Beijing’s growing ambitions in reshaping the multilateral world order but expressed scepticism about its willingness to actively expose itselfdiplomatically at this stage. He noted that passive involvement differs fundamentally from the kind of assertive, credible mediation the situation demands.
Schäffer also pointed to Austria’s particular suitability as a facilitating venue, given Vienna’s established role in the original JCPOA negotiations, suggesting that Austria could once again serve as a discreet and effective platformfor diplomatic dialogue.
Regarding the EU’s leverage in Lebanon, he highlighted stabilisation and reconstruction funding as concrete instruments, while cautioning against any direct military involvement, drawing a clear distinction between the EU’srole in supporting Ukraine, which lies in its immediate neighbourhood and has been subjected to an unprovoked war of aggression, and the wider Middle East conflict.
On the question of Iran’s exclusion of nuclear issues from current ceasefire talks, Schäffer described both Washington and Tehran as “erratic actors,” warning against over-interpreting social media pronouncements from eitherside. He stressed that durable solutions require sustained, structured diplomacy and that the European continent remains the only realistic home for an honest broker in this process.
This live interview was recorded on the sidelines of the Globsec Forum in Prague on 23 May 2026 shortly before the heinous Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv on 24 May 2026, which once again targeted civilian infrastructure. As Schäffer noted during the interview, citing data referenced by Katarína Mathernová, EU Ambassador to Ukraine, in 2025, there were only four days on which Russian forces did not bomb civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. In 2026, there has not been a single such day. These figures speak for themselves and they form the backdrop against which any conversation about diplomacy, mediation, and global stability must be understood.
Watch the full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjCfcgYjNCs
