KATHMANDU: World leaders urged restraint on Friday after Israel pounded Iran, striking 100 targets including nuclear and military sites, and killing senior figures, including nuclear scientists and the armed forces chief of staff.
Here is a roundup of key reactions:
‘Cannot have nuclear bomb’: United States
US President Donald Trump, told Fox News he was aware Israel was going to conduct strikes on Iran before it happened and said: “Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see.”
Fox News also reported that “Trump noted the US is ready to defend itself and Israel if Iran retaliates.”
‘Maximum restraint’: UN
UN chief Antonio Guterres asked “both sides to show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a descent into deeper conflict, a situation that the region can hardly afford,” according to a spokesperson.
Guterres was “particularly concerned” by Israel’s strikes on nuclear installations amid the ongoing US-Iran negotiations.
‘Deeply worried’: China
“The Chinese side… is deeply worried about the severe consequences that such actions might bring,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, calling “on relevant parties to take actions that promote regional peace and stability and to avoid further escalation of tensions”.
‘Reasonable reaction’: Czech Republic
Czech Republic Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said Iran “is supporting so many players, including the Hezbollah and Hamas movements, with the intention to destroy the state of Israel, and also seeking a nuclear bomb”, that “I see that this was a reasonable reaction from the state of Israel towards a possible threat of a nuclear bomb”.
‘Avoid any escalation’: France
“We call on all sides to exercise restraint and avoid any escalation that could undermine regional stability,” France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X.
‘Dangerous escalation’: Hamas
“This aggression constitutes a dangerous escalation that threatens to destabilise the region,” said the Iran-backed, Palestinian militant group, whose October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the Gaza war.
No ‘battleground’: Jordan
“Jordan has not and will not allow any violation of its airspace, reaffirming that the Kingdom will not be a battleground for any conflict,” a government spokesperson told AFP after Jordan closed its airspace.
‘Dangerous approach’: Oman
Nuclear talks mediator Oman said “calls on the international community to adopt a clear and firm position to put an end to this dangerous approach, which threatens to rule out diplomatic solutions and jeopardise the security and stability of the region”.
‘Strong condemnation’: Qatar
Gaza mediator Qatar expressed “its strong condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli attack,” the Gulf state’s foreign ministry said, adding that the “dangerous escalation threatens security and stability of the region and hinders efforts to de-escalate and reach diplomatic solutions”.
‘Aggressive actions’: Turkey
“Israel must put an immediate end to its aggressive actions that could lead to further conflicts,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
‘Reduce tensions urgently’: UK
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement: “The reports of these strikes are concerning and we urge all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently. Escalation serves no one in the region.”
Legitimate right to defend itself’: Yemen’s Huthi rebels
Tehran-backed Huthi rebels said on Telegram they backed “Iran’s full and legitimate right to… develop its nuclear programme” and that “we strongly condemn the brutal Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and affirm its full and legitimate right to respond by all possible means”.
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