Iran's neighbours condemn US strikes
The US strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran, in alignment with Israel's mission to destroy the nuclear capabilities of its long-time foe, have outraged the Islamic republic's allies and raised fears of a wider regional conflict.
Iraq on Sunday strongly condemned the US strikes in neighbouring Iran and warned of the fallout on security in the Middle East.
"This military escalation constitutes a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East and poses serious risks to regional stability," the Iraqi government said.
Baghdad has called for immediate de-escalation and the use of diplomacy to defuse the crisis.
"This must be done in a manner that safeguards collective security and upholds the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations," a spokesman for the Iraqi government added in an online statement.
Iraq, which maintains good ties with both Washington and Tehran, has been trying to stay clear of the current war between Iran and its arch-rival Israel.
Iraqi pro-Iranian militias recently threatened to attack US interests in the region if Washington intervenes in the ongoing war between Iran and Israel.
An umbrella grouping of pro-Iranian militias, known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, has repeatedly claimed strikes on US bases inside Iraq and neighbouring Syria with drones and missiles since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023.
The Iraqi militias are part of the the self-styled "Islamic Axis" led by Iran that also groups Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement.
The Houthis are vowing to support Iran in its fight against "the Zionist and American aggression."
Their statement called for the Muslim nations to join the holy war and act as "one front against the Zionist-American arrogance."
The militant Palestinian group Hamas says the US strikes on Iran are a "direct threat to international peace and security" and "a blind pursuit of the rogue Zionist occupation's agenda."
Saudi Arabia expressed its "great concern" following US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, according to a statement by the foreign ministry on X.
The kingdom called on the international community to boost efforts in such 'highly sensitive circumstances' to reach a political solution to end the crisis.
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations called on Sunday for an emergency Security Council meeting for what he described as America's "heinous attacks and illegal use of force" against Iran.
Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, said that the UN's most powerful body must "take all necessary measures" to hold the US accountable under international law and the UN charter.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns and denounces in the strongest possible terms these unprovoked and premeditated acts of aggression, which have followed the large-scale military attack conducted by the Israeli regime on 13 June against Iran's peaceful nuclear sites and facilities," the letter continued.
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