‘Return to the path of diplomacy’: World leaders denounce Iran's strikes on Israel

COUNTRIES around the world condemned Iran's strikes on Israel late on Saturday. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on Saturday launched dozens of drones and missiles at Israel. The attack by Iran is in retaliation for a strike in Syria that killed top Iranian military officers.

The ongoing clash may draw in the Lebanon-based group Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran. The Israel-Iran conflict escalated a Middle East conflict that began on Oct. 7 when thousands of Hamas operatives broke into Israel from Gaza, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 250.

Here's how the global reacted to Israel-Iran tension:
 

INDIA

The Ministry of External Affairs has appealed for immediate de-escalation.

The Ministry wrote, "We are seriously concerned at the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran which threatens the peace and security in the region. We call for immediate de-escalation, exercise of restraint, stepping back from violence and return to the path of diplomacy. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation. Our Embassies in the region are in close touch with the Indian community. It is vital that security and stability are maintained in the region".

UNITED STATES

US President Joe Biden promised "ironclad" support for Israel after holding an urgent meeting with top security officials.

"I just met with my national security team for an update on Iran's attacks against Israel. Our commitment to Israel's security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad," Biden said on X, posting a picture of the meeting in the White House Situation Room.

BRITAIN

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned the "reckless" strikes, which he said "risk inflaming tensions and destabilising the region. Iran has once again demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard."

EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell condemned the strikes as "an unprecedented escalation and a grave threat to regional security" in a message on X.

UNITED NATIONS

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "the serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched on Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran".

"I am deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation," he added, calling on parties to "avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East".

EGYPT

Cairo's foreign ministry expressed its "deep concern" at the escalation of hostilities and called for "maximum restraint".

The ministry's statement also warned of the "risk of the regional expansion of the conflict", and added that Egypt would be "in direct contact with all parties to the conflict to try and contain the situation".

SAUDI ARABIA

The Saudi foreign ministry issued a statement voicing its concern at the "military escalation" and calling on "all parties to exercise utmost restraint and spare the region and its peoples from the dangers of war".

It went on to urge the UN Security Council "to assume its responsibility towards maintaining international peace and security".

FRANCE

France's Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne on X said that "in deciding to take this unprecedented action, Iran has reached a new level in its acts of destabilisation and is risking a military escalation".

GERMANY

Germany's top diplomat urged Tehran to halt the strikes.

"We condemn the ongoing attack -- which could plunge an entire region into chaos -- in the strongest possible terms," Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on X.

"Iran and its proxies must stop this immediately," she continued, adding that Berlin stands "firmly by Israel".

CANADA
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country "unequivocally condemns Iran's airborne attacks", adding: "We stand with Israel."

"After supporting Hamas' brutal October 7 attack, the Iranian regime's latest actions will further destabilise the region and make lasting peace more difficult," he added.

ARGENTINA

The office of Argentine President Javier Milei expressed in a statement its "solidarity and unwavering commitment" to Israel in the face of the attacks.

It added that Argentina "emphatically supports the State of Israel in the defence of its sovereignty, especially against regimes that promote terror", noting an Argentine court recently held Iran responsible for bomb attacks on the Israeli embassy and a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires in the 1990s.

ITALY

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said his country was following the situation "with attention and concern" and was "ready to manage any kind of scenario".

MEXICO

Mexico's government said it "condemns the use of force in international relations and calls on the parties to use self-restraint and seek solutions peacefully" to avoid a wider regional conflict.