How did some countries react to Iran’s retaliatory strike against Israel

PARIS: Countries around the world condemned Iran’s strikes on Israel late Saturday, warning the attack threatened to further destabilise the Middle East.

Here are some of the main reactions so far:

Pakistan

Pakistan’s Foreign Office issued a statement on Sunday, expressing deep concern over events in the Middle East and called on all parties to exercise restraint and move towards de-escalation.

“It is now critically urgent to stabilize the situation and restore peace,” it added.

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 said the strikes were “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”.

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“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”.

China

China’s foreign ministry also urged restraint, characterising the attack as “the latest spillover of the Gaza conflict” and calling for the implementation of a recent UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire there, saying the “conflict must end now”.

“China calls on the international community, especially countries with influence, to play a constructive role for the peace and stability of the region,” it added.

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

Berlin’s top diplomat also warned the attack would have a destabilising effect, and urged Tehran to halt the strikes.

China ‘deeply concerned’ about escalation after Iran strikes Israel

“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 told reporters in Ottawa that 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.

Spain

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for restraint, saying on X: “We are following with the greatest concern the evolution of the situation in the Middle East. One must at all cost avoid a regional escalation”.

Argentina

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

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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 center in Buenos Aires in the 1990s.