The US and Israeli bombings of Iran are exposing a rift at the heart of Europe’s far right, writes "Politico".
Across the continent, leaders who support the MAGA agenda are forced to choose between their anti-interventionist instincts and taking the offensive against an Islamist regime they have long seen as a threat to Western security. The escalation exposes a long-standing contradiction within Europe’s nationalist parties. Many identify as opposed to what they describe as the Islamization of Europe and see Israel as a natural ally. However, they are also campaigning against what they portray as American imperial overreach and costly foreign engagements. At the same time, there are fears that a new conflict in the Middle East could destabilize the region and trigger new migration flows.
In France, the far-right "National Rally", which is leading in polls ahead of next year's presidential election, took a principled stance against the US intervention in Venezuela in January, calling the capture of the country's leader, Nicolas Maduro, a violation of national sovereignty.
The reaction of the US-Israeli campaign in Iran, however, was far more cautious, with a perceived error in supporting the strikes.
"We support the actions taken by the United States, even if, frankly, we do not like their unilateral aspect," said Sebastien Chenu, vice-president of the French "National Rally" yesterday.
In recent months, the "National Rally" seeks to portray itself as a staunch supporter of Israel, with its chairman Jordan Bardella describing the "Islamist threat" as a common enemy for France and Israel.
Bardella visited the country for the first time in its history last year, a move seen as a way to further distance the party from the anti-Semitic and Holocaust-deprecating rhetoric of its late founder Jean-Marie Le Pen.
A Turn in France
This positioning makes it politically difficult to openly oppose the offensive against the fundamentalist Islamist regime that has vowed to destroy Israel.
Marine Le Pen, the party's de facto leader, reacted cautiously when the bombs started falling. While campaigning for local elections on Saturday, she initially limited herself to noting the strikes and waited until Sunday to issue an official statement in X expressing solidarity with France’s allies in the region hit by Iranian counterattacks. “France must face the moment: alongside its allies and fully mobilized to defend its citizens,” she said.
Notably absent was any condemnation of the unilateral offensive against Iran, a stark contrast to the emphatic language she used after the US operation in Venezuela just a month earlier.
“The sovereignty of states is never up for debate, regardless of their size, power or continent,” she wrote in a statement that was praised in her party, which has traditionally opposed US imperialism. "To abandon this principle today for Venezuela or any other country would mean accepting our own slavery tomorrow".
Clearly aware of the interconnectedness between the two situations, Bardella sought to strike a careful balance, emphasizing that any "legitimate and sustainable" regime change must come from the Iranian people. He quickly turned to the domestic impact of the conflict and called on the EU and the French government to protect citizens from an expected rise in energy prices.
Yesterday, Chenu tried to explain the apparent contradiction between the party's position on the Iranian attacks and his party's previous position on Venezuela.
"It's different here because there is an immediate danger, because there is a nuclear threat and Israel is in a situation where it could be destroyed by Iran," he said.
A split in Germany
Across the Rhine, the issue has proven just as sensitive for the far-right Alternative for Germany party.
The party's co-chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Hrupal expressed "great concern" about the weekend attacks and warned that "the renewed destabilization of the Middle East" "is not in Germany's interest" and "must be terminated".
This position did not sit well with senior party figures, who believe that the offensive against the Islamist regime in Iran should be supported.
Following the party leadership's statement, AfD MP Andreas Black wrote in a Telegram group chat that he felt "unrepresented in terms of content" and that the party line needed to be clarified.
Others have publicly expressed their disagreement and accused the party leadership of repeating calls for restraint from center-left figures such as former Foreign Minister Analene Berbock, a prominent member of the Green Party.
The AfD, which is competing with the Christian Democrats for the most popular party in the country, has traditionally supported Israel. However, this support has waned in recent months. Khrupala called for an end to German arms sales after the deaths of civilians in Gaza and for a broader reassessment of Berlin's relations with Israel.
The repositioning reflects the growing influence of a pro-Russian, anti-American wing rooted in eastern Germany, where the AfD is expected to perform strongly in upcoming regional elections.
Internal divisions
The timing is delicate. Both parties are high in opinion polls, with France's "National Rally" leading ahead of next year's presidential election, and the "Alternative for Germany" struggling to become the dominant political force in Germany. A new international crisis risks exposing their internal divisions just as they are trying to convince voters they are ready to govern.
Foreign policy has already proven to be a fault line, especially over defense policy and the war in Ukraine - vulnerabilities that their centrist opponents could exploit.
The 2027 French presidential election "will be largely decided on international issues," predicted Gaspard Ganzer, a former communications adviser to Socialist President Francois Hollande, before the attack on Iran. "Nobody wants to send someone to the Elysee Palace who can't stand up to Donald Trump or Xi Jinping."
Not all European parties are so controversial.
Giorge Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Unification of Romanians, said: "In Iran, Venezuela and elsewhere in the world, the Trump administration is doing what is necessary for the safety of the free world and democracy."
On Sunday, Dutch far-right fervorist Geert Wilders welcomed the death of "Islamic devil" Ali Khamenei, while Trump ally Nigel Farage sharply described Prime Minister Keir Starmer's response to the crisis as "pathetic" and criticized his initial refusal to allow the US access to British bases for missions against Iran.
The difference in the clearly stated position became visible on Monday when Farage repeated his point at a press conference, saying that Starmer's slow decision-making threatened the UK's "special relationship" with the US and posed "a serious threat to NATO".
Bardella, by contrast, cancelled a press conference on the local elections scheduled for the same day, citing the international situation.
He did not immediately announce a new date.