Leaders from across the world echoed concerns over the escalating conflict in the Middle East, following the United States and Israel joint operations against Iran on Saturday.
Russia, the European Union, UK and Ukraine called the attacks concerning and urged all sides to exercise restraint.
The US and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, with President Donald Trump calling on the Iranian public to "seize control of your destiny" and rise up against the Islamic leadership. Following this, Iran also launched a counterstrike in several key Middle East hubs, including Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Riyadh.
Russia criticises strikes on Iran, calls it 'dangerous adventure'
Russia urged its citizens to leave Iran, with former president Dmitry Medvedev saying that talks with the United States had just been a "cover". Medvedev, who is now the chair of Russia's security council, in an X post said, “The peacekeeper is at it again,” referring to US President Donald Trump.
The country also criticised the strikes on Iran as a "dangerous adventure" that could spark "catastrophe" in the region, AFP reported
{{/usCountry}}The country also criticised the strikes on Iran as a "dangerous adventure" that could spark "catastrophe" in the region, AFP reported
{{/usCountry}}"Washington and Tel-Aviv have once again embarked on a dangerous adventure that is rapidly bringing the region to the brink of a humanitarian, economic, and radiological catastrophe," the foreign ministry said.
It further said that the intentions of US is to destroy the constitutional order and overthrow the government of "a state they find undesirable, which has refused to submit to the diktat of force and hegemonism."
Qatar calls attacks ‘violation of sovereignty’
Qatar, which hosts a US military base, initially said it was secure after the US and Israeli attacks on neighbouring Iran but was monitoring developments closely. However, later in the day, an official told AFP that it had intercepted an Iranian missile and repelled “a number of attacks.”
Several rounds of explosion was also reportedly heard across Doha. Condemning the attacks, the country's foreign ministry in a statement said "its strong condemnation of the targeting of Qatari territory by Iranian ballistic missiles. It considers this a blatant violation of its national sovereignty," adding it “reserves its full right to respond to this attack,” AFP quoted the ministry as saying.
An official later told AFP that Qatari defence systems had intercepted an Iranian missile, and the defence ministry said it had repelled "a number of attacks".
EU warns against ‘perilous’ situation
Leaders of the European Union also warned that the escalating situation in the region was "perilous" and called for civilians to be protected in any ensuing conflict. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen took to X and urged "all parties to exercise restraint", stressing it was "critical" to "ensure nuclear safety" after the US indicated Iran's nuclear sites were in its crosshairs.
EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the situation was dangerous, announcing the withdrawal of the bloc's non-essential personnel from the region.
UK says ‘don’t want to see further escalation'
Following the tensions, the British government on Saturday said it did not participate in the joint strikes launched by the US and Israel and called for a negotiated solution to prevent further escalation.
"We do not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict," PTI quoted a government spokesperson as saying, adding that the UK's "immediate priority" was the safety of its citizens in the region.
Reza Pahalvi says “close to final victory”
Reza Pahalvi, the son of Iran's last shah and a leading critic of Tehran, said that "we are very close to final victory" following the strikes. Pahalvi, who lives in exile in Washington, told Iranians, “I want to be by your side as soon as possible so that together we can take back and rebuild Iran.”
Jordan works to protect kingdom amid strikes
Jordan's military said its air force was at work on Saturday to protect the kingdom and its people while the strikes were ongoing, AFP reported. A military official said that two ballistic missiles targeting the kingdom's territory "were successfully intercepted by Jordanian air defence systems".
Ukraine blames Iranian authorities crackdown
Blaming Iran for the strikes, Ukraine argued that the Iranian government's "violence against its own people and other countries" had triggered the US and Israeli attacks against it. In a statement, Ukraine said that the reason for the current events is the “violence and arbitrariness” of the Iranian regime, in particular the murders and repressions against peaceful protesters. The country was referring to the massive crackdown on Iranian protestors by the authorities that killed thousands.
France says citizens' safety top priority
France, which also houses several military bases in the Middle East, notably in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, said that Paris's priority was the safety of its citizens.
Stating that it is monitoring the situation, France said, “Obviously our priority in these sorts of cases is the protection of our nationals and the protection of our forces in the region,” deputy defence minister Alice Rufo was quoted as saying.
African Union calls for restraint
Calling for “restraint, urgent de-escalation and sustained dialogue,” the African Union warned that the conflict could risk harming people on the continent. It said that further escalation of the conflict can risk global instability and implications for economic security, especially in Africa, the pan-African body's head, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, was quoted as saying.
Red Cross says attacks igniting ‘dangerous chain reaction’
Following the military escalation in the Middle East beginning with US and Israel attacks on Iran, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Saturday warned that the conflict could "ignite a dangerous chain reaction across the region, with potentially devastating consequences for civilians."
ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric called on countries to respect the rules of war and urged them to find the political will to prevent any more death and destruction.