Reactions pour in ...
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Hours after the attack, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares reported via social media that he was closely monitoring the situation.
“We call for respect for international law. Violence only brings chaos. De-escalation and dialogue are the path to peace and stability,” he wrote.
China urges resumption of talks
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Beijing was “highly concerned” over the strikes against Iran called for an “immediate stop” of the military actions.
“Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity should be respected,” spokesperson said, demanding “no further escalation of the tense situation, resumption of dialogue and negotiation, and efforts to uphold peace and stability in the Middle East.”
Pakistan slams ‘unwarranted’ attacks
Pakistan denounced the “unwarranted” attacks against Iran and called for an immediate halt to escalating hostilities.
During a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar “strongly condemned the unwarranted attacks against Iran and called for an immediate halt to escalation through urgent resumption of diplomacy to achieve a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the crisis.”
Brazil expresses grave concern
The Brazilian government condemned US-Israel attacks on Iranian targets and expressed grave concern over the military action.
“The attacks occurred amid a negotiation process between the parties, which is the only viable path to peace, a position traditionally defended by Brazil in the region,” the government said in a statement.
The Brazilian government appealed to all parties to respect international law and exercise maximum restraint to avoid escalating hostilities and protect civilians.
Omani FM dismayed
Oman Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who had been a key player in talks aimed at preventing a war between the US and Iran, expressed dismay at the Saturday morning strikes by the US and Israel.
“I am dismayed. Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined,” he wrote on X.
“Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this. And I pray for the innocents who will suffer. I urge the United States not to get sucked in further. This is not your war,” he wrote.
Macron seeks UNSC meeting
French President Emmanuel Macron called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council after the US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation, saying the escalation “must stop.”
“France is calling for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council,” Macron wrote on X.
“The ongoing escalation is dangerous for everyone. It must stop,” he added, warning that the outbreak of war between the United States, Israel and Iran carries “grave consequences for international peace and security.”
UN urges all parties to ‘see reason’
The United Nations’ rights chief deplored strikes in the Middle East and urged all parties to return to negotiations, saying attacks would only result in “death, destruction and human misery.”
“I deplore the military strikes across Iran this morning by Israel and the United States of America, and the subsequent retaliatory strikes by Iran,” Volker Turk said in a statement.
“Bombs and missiles are not the way to resolve differences but only result in death, destruction and human misery.
“To avert these terrible consequences for civilians, I call for restraint and implore all parties to see reason, to de-escalate, and for a return to the negotiating table where they had been actively seeking a solution only hours earlier,” he said.
“Failing to do so risks an even wider conflict, that will inevitably lead to further senseless civilian deaths and destruction on a potentially unimaginable scale, not just in Iran but across the Middle East region.”
Iraq raps ‘unjustified aggression’
Iraqi authorities denounced US-Israeli strikes on neighboring Iran and warned against drawing Iraq into the conflict.
Sabah al-Numan, the military spokesman for the prime minister, said that Iraq “condemned the unjustified aggression against the Islamic republic”, and “warned of the consequences of the blatant aggression” against Iraqi sites.
In Iraq, two people were killed Saturday in airstrikes on a military base housing the powerful pro-Iran group Kataeb Hezbollah, which has threatened the US with an imminent response.
Earlier Saturday, Iraq said it had closed its airspace.
Witnesses and a military source told AFP that warplanes and missiles were seen flying through Iraqi airspace.
Numan warned against using Iraq’s airspace and territory “as a corridor or launching point for aggression against Iran”.
Iraq “equally rejects the use of its land or territorial waters as a means of dragging the country into the conflict,” he added.
Baghdad also called “for the immediate cessation of military operations” and urged powers, especially the US, to “act responsibly and contribute effectively to finding solutions away from the military option.”
EU leaders urge restraint
European Union leaders issued a joint statement Saturday, calling for restraint and engaging in regional diplomacy.
“Ensuring nuclear safety and preventing any actions that could further escalate tensions or undermine the global non-proliferation regime is of critical importance,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa. “We call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, to protect civilians, and to fully respect international law.”
Both said that while the 27-nation bloc had pushed for diplomacy to solve critical issues.
Yemen’s Ansarullah movement voiced support for “the Muslim and brotherly nation of Iran, its wise leadership, brave armed forces and steady government,” in the wake of the strikes.
“Anyone who thinks that the target of the recent aggression is only Iran is mistaken. Because the arrogance of the US and the Zionist regime will not be limited to this country and its borders,” the movement said in a statement.