Cyprus ‘taking all necessary measures’ amid US, Israel strikes on Iran

The Cypriot defence ministry is “taking all the necessary measures” in light of strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on Iran, minister Vasilis Palmas said on Saturday.

“We are taking all the necessary measures foreseen in such situations,” he told the Cyprus News Agency.

His comments come after Cyprus’ air force and navy were both declared terrorist organisations by the Iranian government last week, with the Iranian government declaring the air force and navy of every European Union member state a terrorist organisation.

This had been done in retaliation to the EU’s decision to declare the same of Iran’s Islamic revolutionary guard.

The EU had designated the Islamic revolutionary guard as a terrorist organisation earlier this month, with the Council of the EU, chaired by Cyprus for the first half of this year, formally adopting the designation.

When the European Parliament debated the matter earlier this month, one Cypriot MEP – Elam’s Geadis Geadi – had spoken on the matter, warning that “the barrage of ballistic missiles that hit Israel [was] visible from Cyprus” last year.

“This problematic situation posed a threat not only to the Iranian people, but to the entire region, Europe, and western civilisation more broadly,” he said.

The following day, the European Parliament held a vote on a resolution offering a wide condemnation of the Iranian government, with 524 MEPs voting in favour, three voting against, and four abstaining.

All six Cypriot MEPs – Loucas Fourlas and Michalis Hadjipantela of Disy, Giorgos Georgiou of Akel, Costas Mavrides of Disy, independent Fidias Panayiotou, and Geadi – voted in favour of the motion.