{"id":2592307,"date":"2026-04-18T12:04:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T16:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/eu-president-uses-iran-war-to-double-down-on-plan-to-decarbonize-continent\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T12:06:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T16:06:40","slug":"eu-president-uses-iran-war-to-double-down-on-plan-to-decarbonize-continent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/eu-president-uses-iran-war-to-double-down-on-plan-to-decarbonize-continent\/","title":{"rendered":"EU President Uses Iran War To Double Down On Plan To &#8216;Decarbonize&#8217; Continent"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Feu-president-uses-iran-war-to-double-down-on-plan-to-decarbonize-continent%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2592307&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports that EU President Ursula von der Leyen linked the US-Iran confrontation to Europe\u2019s decarbonization goals, arguing the crisis confirms the need to reduce fossil-fuel dependence and accelerate the transition to renewables and nuclear energy. It notes President Trump\u2019s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz and how the blockade would directly hit European consumers with higher energy costs, describing the situation as making the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >fossil-fuel crisis felt instantly<\/a> in gas stations, groceries, and households. Oil prices have surged more than 50% since the start of Operation Epic Fury, underscoring Europe\u2019s vulnerability to fossil-fuel shocks. von der Leyen urged Europe to press ahead with decarbonization, highlighting Europe\u2019s assets-renewables and nuclear-that can provide independence, predictability, and energy security while noting challenges like limited refinery capacity that could strain jet-fuel supplies if Hormuz remains closed. The piece also cites past energy policies, including 2022 gas rationing and 2023 concerns that electrification could increase reliance on China for batteries and fuel cells.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>European Union President Ursula Von Der Leyen said Monday that the conflict between the United States and Iran &ldquo;confirmed&rdquo; the EU&rsquo;s plans to &ldquo;decarbonize&rdquo; the continent.<\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump announced the Strait of Hormuz would be closed to ships that paid Iran a &ldquo;toll&rdquo; for passage through the maritime chokepoint early Sunday, with the blockade <a href=\"https:\/\/www.centcom.mil\/MEDIA\/PRESS-RELEASES\/Press-Release-View\/Article\/4457255\/us-to-blockade-ships-entering-or-exiting-iranian-ports\/\">starting<\/a> at 10:00 a.m. Monday Eastern time. Von Der Leyen said in the <a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/statement_26_800\">statement<\/a> that Europe was &ldquo;paying a high price&rdquo; for its need for fossil fuels, citing the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Strait of Hormuz is essentially closed, and immediately citizens feel the impact at the gas station, in the supermarket and on the household bills. So what we are seeing in the Middle East is not some distant crisis, but in a world in which everything is connected, the effects are direct and they are immediate and this is, as I said, the second fossil fuel crisis in just a few years,&rdquo; Von Der Leyen said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s one thing that all these events make clear we are paying a very high price for our overdependency on fossil fuels and the grim reality for our continent is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-energy-secretary-pick-called-out-by-republicans-for-democrats-awful-record-on-green-jobs-video\/\" title=\"Biden ... Secretary Pick Called Out By Republicans For Democrats\u2019 Awful Record On \u2018Green Jobs\u2019 (VIDEO)\">fossil fuel energy<\/a> will remain the most expensive option in the years to come.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Oil prices have climbed from the market&rsquo;s $67.02 close on Feb. 27, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.investing.com\/commodities\/crude-oil-historical-data\">closing<\/a> at $104.73 on Monday, an increase of more than 50% since the start of Operation Epic Fury. Von Der Leyen urged Europe to continue on its course of shedding reliance on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But on the other hand, we also have assets. Europe has assets,&rdquo; Von Der Leyen said. &ldquo;We have the electricity that is produced in Europe from renewables and from nuclear. Therefore, our strategy to decarbonize has not only been confirmed in the last years, but is growing in importance day by day.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We need to scale up the homegrown, affordable, reliable energy. That is the wide range of renewables we have, but it is also the nuclear energy of course, because they give us independence, predictability and energy security,&rdquo; Von Der Leyen continued.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The only lasting way out of the fossil dependency is to modernize by shifting electricity generation to renewables and nuclear, and by electrifying the economy as rapidly as possible.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Airports Council International (ACI) Europe told EU leaders in a letter sent Thursday that an extended closure of the Strait of Hormuz could lead to a shortage of jet fuel. The letter noted that Europe&rsquo;s lack of refinery capacity could lead to rationing.<\/p>\n<p>The EU&rsquo;s hostility to domestic fossil fuel production due to fears of &ldquo;climate change&rdquo; has left it dependent on foreign sources of energy. In 2022, the body agreed to ration natural gas following Russia&rsquo;s invasion of Ukraine rather than to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-covid-19-flip-flops-a-timeline\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s COVID-19 Flip-Flops: A Timeline\">increase domestic production<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, a document warned that Europe&rsquo;s push for electrification could leave it dependent on the People&rsquo;s Republic of China for batteries and fuel cells.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EU President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday that the U.S.-Iran clash reinforces Europe\u2019s goal of decarbonizing. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump announced plans to shut the Strait of Hormuz to ships that pay Iran a \u201ctoll,\u201d with the blockade set to begin Monday morning Eastern time. Von der Leyen argued that Europe is paying a high price for its fossil-fuel reliance, noting that the Hormuz disruption is a near-term, tangible effect on gas, groceries, and household bills-a sign of a continuing fossil-fuel crisis in a highly connected world. She warned that this dependence means fossil-energy will remain the most expensive option for years to come, and urged Europe to press ahead with reducing its fossil-fuel use.<\/p>\n<p>Oil prices have surged-from about $67.02 at the end of February to roughly $104.73 on Monday, an rise of more than 50 percent since the start of the operation she described. Von der Leyen stressed the need to continue cutting reliance on fossil fuels. She pointed to Europe\u2019s energy \u201cassets\u201d-renewables and nuclear-as sources that, alongside decarbonization, are growing in importance. She argued that the path out of fossil dependency lies in modernizing energy by expanding homegrown, affordable, reliable power, using a mix of renewables and nuclear to achieve independence, predictability, and energy security, and in electrifying the economy as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n<p>Airports Council International Europe warned that a prolonged Hormuz closure could lead to jet-fuel shortages, noting Europe\u2019s limited refinery capacity could force rationing. The EU\u2019s preference for limiting domestic fossil-fuel production to avoid climate issues has left it dependent on foreign energy. In 2022, Europe agreed to ration natural gas after Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine rather than boost domestic output, and in 2023 a report warned that Europe\u2019s push for electrification could leave it reliant on China for batteries and fuel cells.<\/p>\n<p>(Note: The content appears to be sourced from Daily Caller News Foundation materials.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2592308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_7629.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[46838,78034,36468,76165,32404],"class_list":["post-2592307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-climate-policy","tag-decarbonization","tag-energy-policy","tag-eu-politics","tag-geopolitics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_7629.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2592307"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2592311,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592307\/revisions\/2592311"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2592308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2592307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2592307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2592307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}