Live Blog Update| Israel attacks Iran
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'Dangerous escalation': World reacts to US strikes on Iran

23 June 2025 06:12 BST

The United States struck three nuclear sites in Iran on Sunday, joining Israel's war. 

Here is a roundup of the key reactions:

  • Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US attacks as "outrageous" and said his country had a right to defend its sovereignty.

  • China's foreign ministry said it "strongly condemns" the US strikes, warning that they "escalate tensions in the Middle East".

    "China calls on all parties to the conflict, especially Israel, to cease fire as soon as possible," the ministry said.

  • Malaysia's foreign ministry on Monday urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further escalation in the Middle East following U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.

  • Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed Muslim country and a longtime Washington ally, said the US attacks "violate all norms of international law". 

  • The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas called for de-escalation and a return to negotiations.

  • Russia "strongly condemned" the bombings, calling them "irresponsible" and a "gross violation of international law".

  • Ukraine​​​​​​'s foreign ministry said the strikes were justified to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, praising them as a "clear signal".

  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the strikes a "dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge". "There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace," he said.

  • The Organization of Islamic Cooperation warned that the strikes could lead to "heightened tensions and threaten regional security, peace, and stability," calling for "de-escalation and self-restraint, and for resorting to dialogue and returning to negotiations and peaceful means."

  • UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed the US strikes on Iran, calling on Iran to "return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis".

  • France's President Emmanuel Macron called a meeting of the country's defence council, with his office saying he had spoken with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Oman.

    Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X that France is urging "all parties to exercise restraint to avoid any escalation that could lead to an extension of the conflict."

  • North Korea also condemned the US strikes, calling it a violation of the United Nations charter and blaming the tension in the Middle East on the "reckless valor of Israel".  

  • Pope Leo XIV said that "humanity is crying out for peace" and called for an end to all wars.

    "Each member of the international community has the moral responsibility to end the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable chasm," Leo said during his weekly Angelus prayer at the Vatican.

  • Saudi Arabia expressed "great concern" after the strikes on its neighbour, the "sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran".

  • Hamas condemned the "blatant US aggression against the territory and sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran".

  • Australia backs the United States' air strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities but wants to avert a spiral into "full-scale war" in the Middle East, the government said on Monday.

  • Japan called on Monday for de-escalation of the conflict in Iran and said US strikes demonstrated Washington's determination to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

    Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said it is "extremely regrettable" that the situation between Israel and Iran has escalated into a cycle of retaliation.