Dubai: The US strike on Iran fuelled fears that Israel’s war with Tehran could escalate to a wider regional conflict, and other countries began reacting on Sunday with calls for diplomacy and words of caution.
US President Donald Trump had said Thursday that he would decide within two weeks whether to get involved. In the end, it took just days, and Washington inserted itself into Israel’s campaign with its early Sunday attack.
It remained unclear early on how much damage had been inflicted, but Iran had pledged to retaliate if the US joined the Israeli assault.
Some have questioned whether a weakened Iran would capitulate or remain defiant and begin striking with allies at US targets scattered across the Gulf region.
Here is a look at reactions from governments and officials around the world.
Lebanon
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the US bombing could lead to a regional conflict that no country could bear and called for negotiations.
“Lebanon, its leadership, parties, and people, are aware today, more than ever before, that it has paid a heavy price for the wars that erupted on its land and in the region,” Aoun said in a statement on X.
“It is unwilling to pay more, and there is no national interest in doing so, especially since the cost of these wars was and will be greater than its ability to bear.”
Lebanon’s new leadership, which came after Israel and the Hezbollah’s militant group’s devastating war, has urged that the country avoids being dragged into more conflict as it tries to rebuild itself and pull itself from years-long economic crisis.
Hezbollah has not taken military action against Israel in solidarity with its key ally Iran in the conflict, but has not yet commented on Washington’s overnight strikes.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that Lebanon needs to stay away from any possible regional spillover from the conflict.
“It is increasingly important for us to adhere strictly to the supreme national interest, which is the need to avoid Lebanon being ... drawn into the ongoing regional confrontation in any way,” Salam said in a post on X.
United Nations
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was “gravely alarmed” by the use of force by the United States.
“There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,” he said in a statement on the social media platform X. “I call on Member States to de-escalate.”
“There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy.”
United Kingdom
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for Iran to return to the negotiating table to diplomatically end the crisis, saying stability was the priority in the volatile region.
The UK, along with the European Union, France and Germany, tried unsuccessfully to broker a diplomatic solution in Geneva last
week with Iran.