Global leaders react to US and Israeli strikes on Iran, sparking concerns of a broader conflict.
European leaders are in a state of emergency, scrambling to protect their citizens in the Middle East after the US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday. The strikes have triggered global concerns of escalation into a broader conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting in response to the US and Israeli strikes in Iran. Germany and the UK are holding their own emergency meetings to discuss the situation. The European Union is evacuating some staff from the region and European leaders are planning to coordinate further responses.
The US and Israel launched a major attack on targets across Iran, and US President Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to 'take over your government' — an extraordinary appeal that suggested they could be seeking to end the country’s theocracy after decades of tensions.
The strikes by the US create a dilemma for its democratic allies. While European leaders firmly oppose Iran’s nuclear program and crackdowns by its hard-line theocracy, they are loath to embrace unilateral military action by Trump that could breach international law and unleash a broader conflict.
The responses come after Trump’s strikes on Iran last June, and the arrest of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro last month, caused a similar quandary.
It was unclear whether US allies were given any advance warning of the attacks. The German government said it was only given notice on Saturday morning. France’s junior defense minister said France knew something would happen, but didn’t know when.
Macron said in a statement, 'The escalation underway is dangerous for everyone. It must stop.' France, which has a military presence in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Jordan, would offer military aid to its partners in the Middle East, the president said.
Macron called on Iran’s leadership to commit to negotiations on its nuclear and ballistic programs. He also emphasized the importance of the Iranian people's ability to build their future freely, stating that the massacres perpetrated by the Islamic regime disqualify it and necessitate that the people be given a voice.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer chaired a meeting of the government’s emergency committee on Saturday morning. A UK government spokesperson said, 'We do not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict,' reiterating Britain’s support for a negotiated solution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Britain was not involved in the strikes.
The European Union’s top diplomat called the conflict in the Middle East 'perilous' and said she was working with Israeli and Arab officials to pursue a negotiated peace.
Kaja Kallas, foreign policy chief of the 27-nation bloc, said in a social media post, 'Iran’s regime has killed thousands. Its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, along with support for terror groups, pose a serious threat to global security.'
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide expressed concern that the failure of negotiations between the US and Iran could lead to a 'new, extensive war in the Middle East.'
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected 'the unilateral military action by the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order.' He also rejected the actions of the Iranian regime.
European Union leaders issued a joint statement calling for restraint and engaging in regional diplomacy to ensure 'nuclear safety.' They urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint, protect civilians, and fully respect international law.
The Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons condemned the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, calling them 'totally irresponsible' and risking further escalation, nuclear proliferation, and the use of nuclear weapons.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim condemned Israeli strikes on Iran and the accompanying US military action, warning that the escalating conflict has pushed the Middle East to the 'edge of catastrophe.'
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar condemned the 'unwarranted attacks' on Iran during a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry called the strikes 'a pre-planned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent U.N. member state,' demanding an immediate halt to the military campaign and a return to diplomacy.
The ministry accused Washington and Tel Aviv of 'hiding behind' concerns about Iran’s nuclear program while actually pursuing regime change.
