Iran-Israel-US war: World leaders react cautiously as fears grow of a wider war

World leaders reacted warily to US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday that triggered concerns of a broader conflict.

European leaders held emergency meetings and took measures to protect their citizens in the West Asia, with key leaders calling for a negotiated settlement between Iran and the U.S. Australia and Canada were more open in their support for the strikes, while Russia and China responded with criticism.

Britain, France and Germany called for a resumption of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations and condemned Iranian attacks on countries in the region. They did not directly comment on the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Below is international reaction to the attacks:

Russia Says Trump and Israel Are Plunging the West Asia into the Abyss with Iran Attack

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Russia on Saturday criticised U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel for embarking on a dangerously irresponsible attack on Iran which Moscow said was plunging the entire West Asia into the abyss.

The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, targeting its leadership and plunging the West Asia into a new conflict that Trump said would end a security threat to the U.S. and give Iranians a chance to topple their rulers.

"Washington and Tel Aviv have once again embarked on a dangerous adventure that is rapidly bringing the region closer to a humanitarian, economic, and possibly radiological catastrophe," Russia's foreign ministry said.

"By plunging the Middle East into an abyss of uncontrolled escalation, they are actually encouraging countries around the world, primarily in the region, to acquire more and more serious means against emerging threats."

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's powerful Security Council, chided U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday for the attack on Iran and questioned Washington's staying power given the relatively short history of the United States compared to that of Persia's civilisation.

"The peacekeeper is at it again. The talks with Iran were just a cover. Everyone knew that," Medvedev, a former Russian president, said in English.

"So who has more patience to wait for the enemy’s sorry end now? The US is just 249 years old. The Persian Empire was founded over 2500 years ago. Let’s see what happens in 100 years or so…"

France's Macron Calls for Urgent Meeting of U.N. Security Council on Iran

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, saying the outbreak of a war between the United States, Israel and Iran has "serious consequences" for international peace and security.

Macron spoke separately with leaders of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and the president of the autonomous region of Kurdistan, his office said.

France was ready to deploy the necessary resources to protect its closest partners at their request, Macron said on X.

"The current escalation is dangerous for everyone. It must stop. The Iranian regime must understand that it now has no other option but to engage in good-faith negotiations to end its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its actions to destabilize the region," Macron said.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy Says it is Important That US Act Decisively on Iran

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, addressing U.S. strikes in Iran on Saturday, said it was important that Washington act decisively, but also that hostilities did not escalate into a wider war.

"Whenever there is American resolve, global criminals weaken," Zelenskiy, who has previously called for the Iranian government to be overthrown, wrote on social media.

"This understanding must also come to the Russians," he added.

Tehran is a close ally of Moscow, which has been at war with Ukraine since 2022. Iran has supplied Russia with thousands of long-range Shahed drones, the designs for which have also been used to build drones in Russian factories.

UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF VOLKER TURK

"I deplore the military strikes across Iran this morning by Israel and the United States of America, and the subsequent retaliatory strikes by Iran. As always, in any armed conflict, it is civilians who end up paying the ultimate price.

"Bombs and missiles are not the way to resolve differences but only result in death, destruction and human misery.

"To avert these terrible consequences for civilians, I call for restraint and implore all parties to see reason, to de-escalate, and for a return to the ‘negotiating table’ where they had been actively seeking a solution only hours earlier.

"I have already warned that failing to do so risks an even wider conflict, that will inevitably lead to further senseless civilian deaths and destruction on a potentially unimaginable scale, not just in Iran but across the Middle East region."

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada supports the U.S. "acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security".

SPANISH PRIME MINISTER PEDRO SANCHEZ

"We demand immediate de-escalation and full respect for international law," Sanchez said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

Spanish Foreign Minister Albares later said on X that Madrid demanded respect for international law, de-escalation and dialogue, showing support and solidarity with those who are receiving the strikes.

"The attacks must stop," he added.

OMAN

Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said that active and serious negotiations mediated by his country between Iran and the U.S. were "yet again undermined".

"Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this...I urge the United States not to get sucked in further. This is not your war," he said on X.

LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER NAWAF SALAM

”I reiterate that we will not accept anyone dragging the country into adventures that threaten its security and unity.”

NORWEGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ESPEN BARTH EIDE

”The attack is described by Israel as a preventive strike, but it is not in line with international law. Preventive attacks require an immediately imminent threat.”