After Israel’s initial attacks on Iran last Friday and Iran’s counterstrikes, tensions have been rising around the world, with some worried that the conflict, along with the war in Ukraine, will result in a third world war.
In an interview with RMF FM, cited by Do Rzeczy, Paweł Kowal, MP of the liberal Civic Coalition and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said: “What is happening in the world today is very close to every Polish home. We are on the threshold of another world war. I have no doubt about it.”
The former secretary of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs agreed with the opinion of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who stated that since World War II we have not been as close to a global conflict as we are today.
“Never since 1944 have we been so close to the end of this peaceful political system. We see it every day,” said Kowal.
“These wars that we are observing are of a very large scale, very high intensity. We are observing the end of this international system that operated under the slogan of ‘globalization.’ I am talking about attempts to manage the world order peacefully,” he noted.
The KO MP also tied Iran’s actions, its military capabilities, directly to Putin, thereby linking it to the war in Ukraine as well. “If we are talking about Iran in its current political form, we are talking about Russia’s military support — let’s not have any illusions about this,” he said.
“Iran is part of the axis of evil, a very dangerous element of international relations. All this is closer to us than we think,” he added.
Although the U.S. had warned Israel against such an attack, pushing for diplomacy with Iran to deter its nuclear ambitions and denying any involvement in Israel’s plan, President Donald Trump has clearly warned Tehran not to target American forces in the Middle East. He said that America will respond “at levels never seen before.” He has also most recently reiterated that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and warned people in Tehran to “immediately evacuate.”
An official statement out of the G7 meeting affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself, reading in part: “Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror. We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.”
In terms of America’s regional positioning in response to the Israel-Iran conflict, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted to X that additional deployments “are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region.” It has also been reported that the U.S. has helped Israel shoot down incoming missiles from Iran.
