European leaders have called for de-escalation and maximum restraint in the Middle East. 

The United States has pushed for allies, including its European partners to do more to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway off the coast of Iran. 

Roughly 20% of global oil passes through here but Iranian attacks have severely impacted the ability for ships to navigate through it, sending energy prices soaring.

At Thursday's gathering in Brussels, Belgium, European heads of state expressed little appetite to heed US President Donald Trump's call to provide military assistance to help ease the blockade in the Strait.

"We can and will only be able to get involved once the guns have fallen silent," said Germany's Chancellor, Friedrich Merz at the European Council meeting. "We will not do this whilst hostilities are ongoing; we will only do so once the fighting has ceased. 

"An international mandate will also be required, which we do not currently have. And that is why there are still many steps ahead of us before we can even begin to consider such a matter."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also added the meeting of leaders in the Belgian capital, urging Iran to stop its attacks on neighboring nations and also provided a clear message to the US and Israel.

"It's high time to end this war that is risking to get completely out of control, causing immense suffering on civilians and with propagation around the global economy, that is really dramatic with potential tragic consequences, especially for the least developed countries," Guterres said.

Tax relief?

The growing energy crisis was also discussed at the meeting as leaders discussed helping to reduce electricity costs. The European Commission has proposed member states cut taxes to help absorb surging costs.

"In some cases, electricity is taxed much more than gas, partially up to 15 times more. And this cannot be. So we will propose to lower tax rates on electricity and to make sure that electricity is taxed less than fossil fuels," said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"Member states can already make use of state aid measures to compensate for the cost increases of the energy source, and we will further flexibilise state aid for this purpose."

Also on the agenda was support for Ukraine, but little progress was made on unblocking a loan worth over $100 billion that would help support the country for the next two years. 

Hungary and Slovakia continue to oppose the measure due to an ongoing spat with Kyiv over the supply of Russian oil through the damaged Druzhba pipeline. The two nations say they want it repaired before funds for Ukraine can start to flow.