'Dangerous escalation': World reacts to US strikes on Iran

World leaders on Sunday voiced concerns over the US decision to launch strikes against three nuclear facilities in Iran.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said the military had bombed Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, bringing to an end days of speculation about whether America would become directly involved in the Iran-Israel conflict.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the US strikes “outrageous” and said they will have “everlasting consequences”.

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“The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty] by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations,” he said on X.

“Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behaviour.”

Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation called the US attacks "a barbaric act that violates international law", adding that it would not allow "the path of development of this national industry ... be stopped". The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also responded to the US strikes with a vow that attacks on infrastructure, strategic sites and interests in Israel would continue.

The UAE has expressed deep concern and called for an immediate halt to the escalation to prevent the region from sliding into "new levels" of instability. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the need to "prioritise diplomacy and dialogue to resolve disputes, within comprehensive approaches that achieve stability, prosperity and justice".

The UAE also urged the UN Security Council to "shoulder their responsibilities by actively working to resolve the region’s chronic issues, which are now at a critical juncture and pose an increasing threat to" regional and international security. The UAE emphasised the importance of "learning from the region’s historical conflicts and wars and the hard lessons they offer".

Saudi Arabia also expressed concern after the strikes, reiterating its condemnation of what it said was an attack on Iranian sovereignty.

The Foreign Ministry called in a statement for restraint and avoidance of escalation. It urged the international community to increase efforts in these "highly sensitive circumstances" to reach a political solution to end the crisis.

Countries in the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation were holding a meeting in Istanbul on Sunday, where foreign ministers said they would set up a group to "stop aggression against Iran". They did not mention the US directly.

Iraq also condemned the US attacks and called "for the urgent opening of diplomatic channels to contain the situation and defuse the crisis".

It warned that continuation of such attacks will “lead to a serious escalation with consequences that will exceed the borders of the any state and affect the stability of the region and the world”.

In Lebanon, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said his country would seek to avoid involvement in the conflict.

"In the face of the dangerous escalation in military operations and the risks of their repercussions for the entire region, it is increasingly important for us to adhere strictly to the supreme national interest, which requires avoiding Lebanon's involvement or being drawn into the ongoing regional confrontation in any way," he said on X.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the US bombing raises fears of an escalation of tensions that could threaten security and stability in more than one region and country.

Mr Aoun called for restraint and the launch of constructive and serious negotiations to restore stability to the countries of the region and avoid further killing and destruction.

A source told The National that Hezbollah has not changed its position and will not intervene in the conflict. “There is no change. The Iranians are the ones defending themselves,” the source said.

Once considered Iran’s most powerful proxy and a formidable militia, Hezbollah was significantly weakened by more than 14 months of conflict with Israel. That war ended in November.

Lebanese officials told The National that country's army had been in direct contact with Hezbollah, urging the group to avoid being drawn into the war alongside Iran.

Elsewhere in the region, Egypt called for de-escalation, warning that the conflict poses a major threat to the security of the Middle East and the wider world. The Foreign Ministry said it was watching the developments in Iran with “significant anxiety” and reiterated its rejection of any breaches of the UN charter.

Oman also expressed "deep concern and condemnation" after the latest escalation.

In Gaza, Hamas condemned what it called "blatant US aggression”.

"The Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] condemns in the strongest terms the blatant US aggression against the territory and sovereignty of the Islamic republic of Iran,” the group said in a statement.

"This brutal aggression is a dangerous escalation,” it added, calling the attack "a flagrant violation of international law, and a direct threat to international peace and security”.

Yemen's Houthi rebel government said on Sunday that it supported an earlier vow by its armed wing to attack US ships in the Red Sea should Washington launch strikes on Iran. The Houthis are also backed by Tehran.

In Iraq, an Iran-backed armed faction said it would enter the war, in the first reaction from Iraqi militant groups. “America has left us no other option other than the war,” Mohammed Al Tamimi, leader of the True Promise Corps, told The National.

“In the coming hours, there will be a response that will heal the hearts with God’s help,” Mr Al Tamimi said without elaborating. “From now on, American and Israeli interests everywhere are targets for us."

Further afield, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was "gravely alarmed” by the US strikes.

"This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security,” he said in a statement on X. "I call on member states to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law.”

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, called for an emergency meeting on Monday.

In the US Congress, Democrats attacked Mr Trump for the decision. Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries criticised the strike.

“President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorisation for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East,” he said in a statement.

Even pro-Trump Republicans had strong words against the decision. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a leading Make America Great Again Republican isolationist congresswoman, wrote in a post on X that "Israel is a nuclear armed nation. This is not our fight. Peace is the answer.”

Other Republicans, however, came out strongly in support of Mr Trump's decision, with House Speaker Mike Johnson saying that the President "gave Iran’s leader every opportunity to make a deal, but Iran refused to commit to a nuclear disarmament agreement”.

And the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Roger Wicks, said: "Our commander-in-chief has made a deliberate – and correct – decision to eliminate the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime”.

Senator Tom Cotton said Mr Trump "made the right call and the ayatollahs should recall his warning not to target Americans”.

In Europe, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Iran to "return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution" to end the crisis. "Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat," Mr Starmer said on X, adding that "stability in the region is a priority".

EU foreign affairs minister Kaja Kallas also called for de-escalation and a return to negotiations.

"I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation," she wrote on X, adding that Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and that European foreign ministers would discuss the situation on Monday.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, meanwhile, urged Tehran to hold talks with the US and Israel immediately to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Mr Trump for ordering the strikes. "First comes strength, then comes peace,” he said. "And tonight, President Trump and the United States acted with a lot of strength.”

Yoav Gallant, Israel's former defence minister, said Mr Trump had taken "a bold decision” in attacking Iran. "The world is now a safer place,” he said on X.