LEADERS from across the European Union met today to grapple with rising oil and gas prices caused by the war raging across key energy producers and shipping lanes in the Middle East.

Rising energy prices because of the war and fears in Europe of a new refugee crisis have pushed leaders to make the Middle East a priority at the summit.

“We are very worried about the energy crisis,” said Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever ahead of the European Council summit of 27 leaders of EU nations. He said that energy prices were too high before the war, but that the conflict “created another spike.”

“If that becomes structural, we’re in deep trouble,” he said. “At a European level, some measures can be taken to address the problem of the high energy prices.”

“This is a war that was started by the US and Israel against Iran for reasons that I can understand because the Iranian regime is brutal not only for its own people, but also for the broader region and a security threat for Europe,” said Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.

“But it’s not a war that we are part of,” he said, calling for more sanctions on Iran and support for opposition groups.