Tehran demands accountability from European states that opened bases and airspace to U.S. forces, while rallies in Switzerland, Germany and Japan denounce the war and Europe faces a deepening energy shock.

TEHRAN — Iran declared on Monday that every European state that opened its soil, airspace, or military bases to the U.S.-Israeli war machine must answer for its actions, as protesters from Geneva to Tokyo filled the streets in solidarity with the Islamic Republic.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei issued the demand after Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi summoned Tehran-based ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions to a briefing on the recent UN General Assembly trip — a session that placed Europe's legal exposure at center stage.

"Every single European country that placed its soil or facilities at the disposal of the aggressors must be held accountable for its actions, because this is a clear example of participation and complicity in committing the crime of international aggression and resorting to force against an independent and UN member state," Baghaei said in a radio interview.

He pointed to repeated admissions by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that European territory, facilities, and military bases were used to plan and launch "illegal and aggressive attacks" on Iran.

"This has been recorded as part of the historical documents and showed that Iranians stood simultaneously against two evil armies and a large number of their supporting countries," Baghaei said.

"We have documented these cases, and in yesterday's meeting, the Foreign Minister discussed this issue in detail with the ambassadors."

 In a September 23 interview at a public event on NATO's future, Rutte said that "5,000 aircraft" had taken off from European bases in support of the U.S.-Israeli terrorist war on Iran since it began on February 28.   

 He added that the figure was calculated only through mid-April and that the actual number afterward was "probably much higher".

Rutte explicitly acknowledged the centrality of European territory to the U.S. aggression, stating: "One could argue that carrying out this operation without using Europe as a platform for the projection and deployment of U.S. power would have been very difficult, if not practically impossible."

Iran's Ambassador and Chargé d'Affaires to the UN Gholamhussein Darzi cited these remarks in a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Security Council president.

He said they could give rise to the "international responsibility of the states concerned, as well as the individual criminal responsibility of European officials" involved.

The diplomatic offensive was matched by demonstrations across three continents on Monday.

In Geneva, students and civil society groups rallied against what organizers called "repeated aggressions" against Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and Syria, condemning Israeli crimes and settler attacks in the West Bank. Their statement excoriated European governments for hiding behind "weak statements" while complicity continued.

In Germany, crowds gathered in Düsseldorf, Berlin, and Hannover, carrying placards rejecting the U.S.-Israeli terrorist war and demanding an end to European logistical and military support for the aggressors.

In Japan, tens of thousands marched in support of Iran and Palestine — one of the largest pro-Iran demonstrations in East Asia since the February war. Footage showed vast crowds denouncing Israeli and American aggression.

The protests coincided with a deepening legal crisis for Lisbon. Portugal's Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed it has opened an investigation into whether the U.S. use of Lajes Airbase in the Azores during the war complied with Portuguese and international law.

The inquiry follows a complaint by the Left Bloc party, which said that allowing the base to be used for operations linked to the war on Iran could constitute a "gross violation of international law."

Portuguese officials acknowledged 76 landings by U.S. aircraft at Lajes and 25 overflights of national territory since the war began.

Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said Lisbon authorized the use of the base only after receiving assurances from Washington that operations would be defensive, necessary, and proportionate — assurances that Tehran says are meaningless given the documented use of European facilities for offensive operations.

Baghaei's warning was unequivocal: "Those who provided their territories, military bases, and infrastructure to enable the aggression cannot evade responsibility for their contribution to an unprovoked aggression and its grave consequences."

The war on Iran has not only exposed Europe's legal complicity — it has shattered its economy, plunging the continent into its worst energy crisis since the 1970s and driving growth forecasts to near-zero.

EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen revealed at a meeting of the bloc's 27 energy ministers in Dublin that the European Union has spent more than €100 billion in additional energy imports since the war began — without securing "a single additional molecule of gas or barrel of oil".

"The situation is difficult," Jørgensen said, urging member states to raise gas storage to at least 80%, reduce demand, and accelerate the shift to electricity.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a transit route for roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG — has severed Europe from Persian Gulf supplies that once accounted for about 20% of global energy. European LNG imports from the Persian Gulf have collapsed to near-zero, forcing the continent into fierce competition with Asia for American supplies.

Diesel has emerged as the most acute vulnerability. International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol warned that Europe faces a "very difficult winter," noting that about half of its diesel supplies come directly from the United States — making the fuel particularly vulnerable to any U.S. export restrictions.

President Donald Trump's threat to restrict diesel exports ahead of the midterm elections sent panic through European markets. EU officials said they do not expect a 90-day ban but are preparing for higher prices.

Fuel prices in some EU countries have risen by up to 50%, reaching the equivalent of more than $11 per gallon.

The economic damage is now quantified in stark terms. The IMF has cut its 2026 growth forecast for the euro area to 0.9%, down from 1.1% projected in April, while raising its inflation outlook to 2.8%.

The World Bank lowered its euro area growth forecast to 0.8% and warned that growth could slow further to 1.3% globally if energy disruptions intensify.

The ECB acknowledged in its March projections that headline inflation would average 2.6% in 2026, revised up sharply due to higher energy prices, while growth would fall to just 0.9% — a downward revision reflecting "the global effects of the war on commodity markets, real incomes and confidence".

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said the war has created "upside risks for inflation and downside risks for economic growth," with the medium-term implications depending on "the intensity and duration of the conflict".

The ECB's own scenario analysis warns that a prolonged disruption in oil and gas supplies would result in inflation above and growth below baseline projections — a stagflationary trap that mirrors the worst outcomes of the 2022 crisis, but with fewer fiscal buffers and higher debt levels .

France, the EU's second-largest economy, is facing one of its toughest pressures. President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that the war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have had "direct consequences" for the French, with fuel prices reaching historic levels.