Condemning the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leaderย Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Russia’s Presidentย Vladimir Putin saidย killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader is a ‘cynical murder’ that violates ‘all standards of human morality and international law’. Meanwhile, in a statement, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged US and Iran to resume talks. We condemn Iranian attacks on countries in the region in the strongest terms. Iran must refrain from indiscriminate military strikes,” they said. “Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future,โ they said.ย US-Israel Attacks Iran LIVE Updates: ‘Killed 40 Iranian commanders in just 1 minute,’ claims Israelย
How global powers reacted?ย
ย Saudi Arabia and Gulf nations respond
Saudi Arabia strongly condemned what it described as Iranian assaults on the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan, calling them a breach of sovereignty.
The Kingdom confirmed it fully stands by those countries and warned of the โdire consequences of continued breach of sovereignty and violating international principles.โ It also urged the international community to take measures against actions that it said are undermining regional stability and security.
France warns of escalation
France, which maintains military bases and a regular presence in the Middle East, called on its citizens in the region to exercise extreme caution.
Junior Defence Minister Alice Rufo told France-2 television that a military escalation is underway.
โItโs not the time for negotiations. We are in a situation of war,โ she said, comparing the situation to the 12-day war in June.
She added that Franceโs priority is the protection of its citizens and its forces stationed in the region.
Qatar repels attacks, closes airspace in region
Qatarโs Defence Ministry said the military successfully repelled a second wave of Iranian attacks targeting parts of the country.
The Qatar Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as a โflagrant violationโ of its sovereignty. It reiterated that Qatar has consistently advocated dialogue with Iran and stressed that being targeted by a neighbouring country โcannot be accepted under any justification or pretext.โ
Syriaโs civil aviation authority announced the closure of airspace in southern Syria. Several airlines, including Lufthansa, Air France, Qatar Airways, and Pegasus Airlines, cancelled flights to Lebanon.
European Union calls situation โperilousโ
The European Unionโs foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the conflict as โperilousโ and said efforts were ongoing to pursue a negotiated peace.
She stated that Iranโs ballistic missile and nuclear programmes, along with its support for armed groups, pose a serious threat to global security. The EU is evacuating some staff from the region while maintaining its maritime mission in the Red Sea.
The bloc recently imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, prompting retaliatory measures from Tehran.ย
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