Countries in the Middle East and beyond responded with alarm after US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as the EU and the UN called for immediate diplomacy.
Gulf states, which historically have been regional rivals with nearby Iran and critical of its nuclear ambitions, expressed serious concern amid the risk of retaliation against US military bases hosted in their countries.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Oman criticised the US attack and urged de-escalation.
Qatar, which hosts the biggest US military base in the Middle East, said it feared serious repercussions regionally and internationally.
“The current dangerous escalation in the region may lead to catastrophic consequences at both the regional and international levels,” its foreign ministry said in a statement.
It said it was calling on all parties “to exercise wisdom, restraint, and to avoid further escalation”.
Gulf leaders including the UAE president, the emir of Qatar and the crown prince of Saudi Arabia discussed the serious implications of the escalation for international and regional security, the UAE state news agency reported.
Saudi Arabia was on a high security alert, expressing “great concern” and stressing the “need to exert all efforts to exercise restraint ... and avoid escalation”.
UN secretary general António Guterres said he was “gravely alarmed”. He said “at this perilous hour” it was crucial to “avoid a spiral of chaos”.
“There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace,” he said.
Iraqi government spokesperson Basim Alawadi said: “This military escalation constitutes a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East and poses serious risks to regional stability.”
Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed Muslim country and a long-time Washington ally, said the US attacks “violate all norms of international law”.
Russia “strongly condemned” the strikes, calling these “irresponsible”, a “gross violation of international law” and a “dangerous escalation”.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called for a return to negotiations. She said Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, describing the possibility as “a threat to international security”.
French president Emmanuel Macron also called for dialogue, saying he had urged Iran to “exercise the utmost restraint in this dangerous context to allow a return to the diplomatic path”.
Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said Iran must “immediately enter into negotiations with the US and Israel and to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict”.
British prime minister Keir Starmer said in a statement: “We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.”
But Ukraine said the US and Israeli strikes on Iran were justified to prevent Tehran developing nuclear weapons, praising the military intervention as a “clear signal”. – Guardian
