World leaders weigh in on ‘alarming' Israel Iran conflict
World leaders and senior officials have called on both Israel and Iran to walk back from the brink of all-out war as the bitter enemies traded intense attacks for a second day.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Saturday that Israel's strikes on Iranian infrastructure had set its nuclear programme back years, without providing evidence, but rejected global calls for restraint.
'We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs' regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days,' he said in a video message.
During its surprise attack on Friday, the Israeli army targeted more than 200 military and nuclear sites, killing top Iranian army commanders, scientists and other senior officials.
Iran strong retaliation penetrated Israel's lauded missile defence on Friday night and overnight into Saturday, with air raid sirens sounding across Israel. At least four people were killed, with the Israeli military saying Iran had fired about 200 ballistic missiles in four waves.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Saturday of a 'more severe and powerful response' if Israel continued to strike.
In light of the escalation, world leaders have spoken to Iranian and Israeli top officials, fearing a possible regional war.
Here is what some countries have said:
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Iranian president that Israel was looking to 'drag the whole region into the fire,' according to a statement from the Turkish presidency. Erdogan also told Pezeshkian that Israel's attacks aimed to divert attention from the genocide in Gaza.
Erdogan told Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Israel needed 'to be stopped', calling it 'the main threat to stability and security in the region'. The issue of Iran's nuclear programme 'can only be resolved through negotiations', he added. The Turkish leader also spoke with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
President Vladimir Putin spoke to United States President Donald Trump and condemned Israel's attacks on Iran. Top Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Putin 'expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East'.
According to Ushakov, Trump described the current events in the Middle East as 'very alarming'.
The two leaders did not rule out a return to the negotiating meetings on Iran's nuclear programme, Ushakov said.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to his Iranian and Israeli counterparts and made clear Beijing's support for Tehran.
Wang told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Beijing 'supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty, defending its legitimate rights and interests, and ensuring the safety of its people', according to a statement by the foreign ministry.
Wang told Araghchi that Israel's actions 'seriously violate … the basic norms governing international relations', adding attacks on nuclear facilities 'have set a dangerous precedent with potentially catastrophic consequences'.
During his conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Wang expressed that its attack on Iran was 'unacceptable'.
'Diplomatic means for the Iranian nuclear issue have not been exhausted, and there is still hope for a peaceful solution. Force cannot bring lasting peace,' Wang said, adding that Beijing was willing to play a role in de-escalating the conflict.
Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also spoke with Pezeshkian and reiterated Qatar's strong condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli attack targeting the territory of Iran, considering it a flagrant violation of Iran's sovereignty and security, and a clear breach of the rules and principles of international law.
The British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday that the UK is moving military assets, including fighter jets, to the Middle East for contingency support across the region.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he was 'alarmed' by the overnight strikes 'with reports of fatalities and injuries in Israel'. 'We must urgently de-escalate & prevent any further harm to civilians,' Lammy said on X, adding that he had spoken to his Iranian counterpart 'to urge calm'.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul spoke to his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and warned that the risk of 'further escalation is real.' 'Iran's nuclear program threatens not only Israel, but also Saudi Arabia and the broader stability of the region. The countries here share a clear goal: to prevent nuclear proliferation. Germany is firmly committed to de-escalation,' he wrote on X.
President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke to his Iranian counterpart and called for French 'diplomatic facilities and nationals in Iran and the wider region not to be targeted under any circumstances'. 'I also urged the utmost restraint to avoid escalation. Iran's nuclear program is a serious concern and must be resolved through negotiation,' Macron wrote on X.
'I therefore invited President [Masoud] Pezeshkian to return swiftly to the negotiating table to reach an agreement — the only viable path to de-escalation … We stand ready to contribute and to mobilise all our efforts to achieve that goal,' he added.
Pope Leo XIV called on Israel and Iran to show responsibility and reason.
'The situation in Iran and Israel has seriously deteriorated at such a delicate moment. I wish to forcefully renew an appeal for responsibility and reason,' the pope said in a statement. 'The commitment to build a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through a respectful meeting and sincere dialogue,' he said.
'No one should ever threaten the existence of the other,' he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
39 minutes ago
- Al Jazeera
The real reason Israel attacked Iran
As the Israeli-Iranian confrontation enters its third day, casualties on both sides are mounting. At least 80 people have been killed in Iran and at least 10 in Israel. Despite the deadly response from Iran, Israeli officials have continued to insist that attacks on various Iranian nuclear and military facilities were necessary. A number of justifications have been broadcast to the Israeli public, but none explains the true reasons why the Israeli government decided to carry out the unilateral, unprovoked assault. The Israeli government claims that the strike was a 'preventive' one, meant to address an immediate, inevitable threat on Iran's part to construct a nuclear bomb. There appears to be no evidence for this claim. Israel's strike was undoubtedly meticulously planned over a long period of time. A preventive attack must carry an element of self-defence, which, in turn, is generated by an emergency. No such emergency appears to have occurred. Additionally, Israel has suggested that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report released on June 12 that condemned Iran for material violations of its Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) commitments until the early 2000s constitutes such an emergency. But even the IAEA seems to reject that claim. There was nothing in the report that was not already known to the relevant parties. The Israeli government has also suggested, in direct relation to the notion of a 'preventive' strike, that it aimed to 'decapitate' Iran's nuclear programme. It is generally agreed by scholars and policymakers that Israel lacks the ability to destroy the programme, especially if it attempts to carry out such a strike on its own. The nature of the campaign as it unfolds also seems to indicate that Israel never meant to wipe out Iranian nuclear activities. The Israeli army has been bombing various military and governmental targets, from missile bases to a gasfield and an oil depot. It has also carried out a string of assassinations against senior Iranian military leaders, most prominently Ali Shamkhani, a former defence minister who was also a close adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He is believed to have been a leading figure in the talks with the United States over the past months. His assassination, alongside others', reflects a favourite Israeli modus operandi. Israel often attempts to 'eliminate' specific people in the hope that their deaths would bring about the unravelling of the systems and institutions they lead. The death of Shamkhani can be construed as an attempt to sabotage talks between Iran and the US. In any case, assassinations also seem to indicate the existence of a thorough plan to demonstrate Israel's might at all levels of Iranian official life and practices. This is not a 'decapitation' of the Iranian nuclear programme. A third suggestion is that Israel has its heart set on jumpstarting 'regime change' in Tehran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this overtly when he called on the 'proud people of Iran' to stand up for their 'freedom from an evil and repressive regime'. The assumption that Iranians would simply do Israel's bidding as it bombs them relentlessly and unilaterally seems akin to the notion that if Israel starves and exterminates the Palestinians in Gaza to the required extent, they would rise against Hamas and remove it from power. Even if that were the case, presuming that all the Iranians are waiting for is an Israeli strike to move against the regime demonstrates a profound lack of understanding with regard to the forces driving Iranian politics. While many Iranians undoubtedly oppose the Islamic Republic, Iranians of all political persuasions are consistently 'patriotic', committed to supporting Iranian sovereignty and independence from any attempts by external elements to impose their agendas on their country. In fact, just as numerous Israelis who would consider themselves uncompromising critics of Netanyahu jumped to attention when the Israeli attack began and are now vocally supporting the government – most egregiously, members of the parliamentary 'opposition' – so are numerous opponents of the Islamic Republic now rallying behind the flag in support of Iran's violated sovereignty. Claiming that Israel is merely 'laying the groundwork' for a popular Iranian rebellion by striking is, at best, a cynical manipulation. Israel has not struck Iran for all these reasons. So, what drove the attack? Amid the genocidal campaign in Gaza, Netanyahu is very much aware that his government is running out of options. The international community, as well as regional allies, have started to criticise Israel vocally. Some have also been preparing to carry out unilateral measures, like the mass recognition of a Palestinian state. The International Criminal Court's warrant of arrest for Netanyahu is looming, and the decision of the International Court of Justice about the legality of Israel's occupation is waiting to be fulfilled. Israel and its military have continuously carried out massacres, denied them, and have been found to be lying. There is no doubt that Netanyahu planned the strike on Iran for years, waiting for just the right time. This time came on Friday. It is a desperate attempt to rally the world behind Israel, just as preparations are made to deny it the absolute impunity it has enjoyed since its creation. Iran is still considered a potential threat by many leading powers of the Global North. By invoking the known tropes associated with unilateral lethal Israeli action – from divine promises to the Holocaust – Netanyahu hoped to re-establish the status quo; Israel can still do whatever it wants. This is Israel's current definition of 'security', the most hallowed principle at its core. It is the seemingly apolitical genesis of Israeliness, the site devoted wholly to Jewish supremacy, which is the only 'real' way to ensure the integrity of Jewish lives. 'Security' means that Israel can kill whoever it wants for as long as it wants and wherever and whenever it wants without paying any sort of price for its actions. This 'security' is what has motivated Israel's actions from Gaza to Yemen to Lebanon and Syria, and now in Iran. Such a 'security regime' must expand continuously, of course. It can never stop. By striking Iran, Netanyahu has gone for broke, staking a claim for complete and absolute impunity for Israel as well as for himself, in The Hague as well as in domestic courts. Will this be Netanyahu's salvation? Will the Israeli public forgive him for his abject failures at home and horrid transgressions in Gaza? When observing the current sense of jubilation in public Israeli discourse, this may very well be the case. The long lines stretching from every open store, hardware to food, demonstrate that Israelis have entered blank survival mode. A docile citizenry may be good for Netanyahu, but it portends ill for any attempt to build and defend a robust Israeli society. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
Photos: Israel and Iran trade strikes for a third day
Israel has unleashed air attacks across Iran for a third day and threatened even greater attacks, while some Iranian missiles have evaded Israeli air defences to strike buildings in the heart of the country. The region braced for a protracted conflict after Israel's surprise bombardment of Iran's nuclear and military sites on Friday killed top generals and nuclear scientists, and neither side has showed any sign of backing down since. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that if the Israeli strikes on Iran stop, then 'our responses will also stop'. Araghchi said Israel had targeted an oil refinery near Tehran and another in the country's Bushehr province on the Gulf. He said Iran's retaliatory strikes also targeted 'economic' sites in Israel, without elaborating. The conflict has raised prospects of a broader assault on Iran's heavily sanctioned energy industry that could affect global markets. United States President Donald Trump has expressed full support for Israel's actions while warning Iran that it can avoid further destruction only by agreeing to a new nuclear deal. But talks scheduled on Sunday in Oman were called off, with Tehran calling the dialogue 'meaningless'. Meanwhile, Israeli attacks have killed at least 80 people and wounded 800 others in Iran over the past two days, including 20 children. In Israel, at least 10 people were killed in overnight strikes by Iran, bringing the country's total death toll to 13. Israel's main international airport and airspace remained closed for a third day.
Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
Which Iranian oil and gas facilities has Israel hit? Why do they matter?
Israel has struck some of Iran's most vital oil and gas facilities, the first such attacks despite decades of rivalry between the Middle Eastern nations, raising fears of a widening conflict and threatening turmoil for the markets. Late on Saturday, Iran's Ministry of Petroleum said Israel struck a key fuel depot, while another oil refinery in the capital city of Tehran was also in flames, as emergency crews scrambled to douse the fires at separate sites. Iran has also partially suspended production at the world's biggest gasfield, the South Pars, which it shares with neighbour Qatar, after an Israeli strike caused a fire there on Saturday. The latest round of exchange of projectiles began on Friday after Israel launched attacks on Iran's military and nuclear sites and assassinated several top military officials and nuclear scientists. Tehran retaliated by firing ballistic missiles and drones at multiple cities in Israel amid global calls for de-escalation. According to Iranian state media, Israeli attacks have killed at least 80 people, including 20 children, and wounded 800 others over the past two days. Israeli authorities said that 10 people had been killed in Iranian strikes, with over 180 injured. Israel's unprecedented and sudden attacks on Iran's energy facilities are poised to disrupt the oil supplies from the Middle East, and could shake up global fuel prices, even as both countries threaten each other with even more intense attacks. So, what are the key energy sites in Iran hit in Israeli attacks? And why do they matter?Iran holds the world's second-largest proven natural gas reserves and the third-largest crude oil reserves, according to the United States government's Energy Information Administration (EIA), and its energy infrastructure has long been a potential target for Israel. Before the current spiral in their conflict, Israel had largely avoided targeting Iranian energy facilities, amid pressure from its allies, including the US, over the risks to global oil and gas prices from any such attack. That has now changed. On Friday, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that if Iran retaliated to its attacks, 'Tehran will burn'. Late on Saturday, major fires broke out at two opposing ends of the Iranian capital — the Shahran fuel and gas depot, northwest of central Tehran, and one of Iran's biggest oil refineries in Shahr Rey, to the city's south. While Iran's Student News Network subsequently denied that the Shahr Rey refinery had been struck by Israel, and claimed it was still operating, it conceded that a fuel tank outside the refinery had caught fire. It did not explain what sparked the fire. But Iran's Petroleum Ministry confirmed that Israel had struck the Shahran depot, where firefighters are still trying to bring flames under control. The Israeli aerial attacks also targeted the South Pars field, offshore Iran's southern Bushehr province. The world's largest gasfield is the source of two-thirds of Iran's gas production, which is consumed nationally. Iran shares the South Pars with its neighbour Qatar, where it is called the North Field. The strikes triggered significant damage and fire at the Phase 14 natural gas processing facility and halted an offshore production platform that generates 12 million cubic metres per day, reported the semiofficial Tasnim news agency. In a separate Israeli attack, fire reportedly broke out at the Fajr Jam gas plant, one of Iran's largest processing facilities, also in the Bushehr province, which processes fuel from South Pars. The Iranian Petroleum Ministry confirmed that the facility was hit. The Shahran oil depot is one of Tehran's largest fuel storage and distribution hubs. It has nearly 260 million litres of storage capacity across 11 tanks. It is a vital node in the capital's urban fuel grid, distributing petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel to several terminals across northern Tehran. The Tehran Refinery, located just south of Tehran, in the Shahr-e Rey district, operated by the state-owned Tehran Oil Refining Company, is one of the country's oldest refineries, with a refining capacity of nearly 225,000 barrels per day. Experts warn that any disruption to this site — whatever the cause of the fire — could strain fuel logistics in Iran's most populous and economically significant region. Down south, the offshore South Pars gasfield in the Gulf contains an estimated 1,260 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas, accounting for nearly 20 percent of known global reserves. Meanwhile, the hit on the Fajr-e Jam Gas Refinery, in Bushehr province, threatens to disrupt Iran's domestic electricity and fuel supplies, particularly for the southern and central provinces, which are already under huge stress. In Iran, blackouts cost the economy about $250m a day, according to the government's estimates. Adding to the uncertainty in global markets, Iran has noted that it is considering closing the Strait of Hormuz amid the intensifying conflict with Israel – a move that would send oil prices soaring. The Strait of Hormuz, which splits Iran on one side and Oman and the United Arab Emirates on the other, is the only marine entryway into the Gulf, with nearly 20 percent of global oil consumption flowing through it. The EIA describes it as the 'world's most important oil transit chokepoint'. The Israeli attacks on Friday, which spared Iran's oil and gas facilities on the first day of the fighting, had already pushed oil prices up 9 percent, before they calmed just a bit. Analysts expect prices to rise sharply when oil markets open again on Monday. Alan Eyre, a distinguished diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Al Jazeera that Israel was trying to push the US into participating in its attacks on Iran. 'Ultimately, Israel's best case scenario is to encourage, if not regime change, then the toppling of this regime,' he said. 'Iran's options are very limited; they have to respond militarily to save face domestically [but] it is very unlikely that Iran can cause enough damage to Israel internally or put enough pressure to stop bombing,' Eyre said. 'Iran does not have many allies in the international community – and even if it did, Israel has shown that it is spectacularly unwilling to listen to international opinion,' added Eyre.
