World leaders responded hesitantly to the rising tensions in the Middle East on Saturday, with three major Western states condemning Iran’s widespread strikes but ultimately calling for a resumption of negotiations between the sides.
Hours after the US and Israel launched its military strike on Iran, Germany, France, and Britain issued a joint statement condemning Iran for hitting countries across the Middle East. However, while the three states called for Iran to refrain from the indiscriminate strikes, they also demanded a resumption of negotiations between the sides.
"We condemn Iranian attacks on countries in the region in the strongest terms," French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in the statement.
"We call for a resumption of negotiations and urge the Iranian leadership to seek a negotiated solution. Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future," the statement said.
The leaders said they had consistently urged Iran to end its nuclear program, curb its ballistic missile program, refrain from its destabilizing activity in the region, and cease appalling violence and repression against its own people.
Adding that while their countries had not participated in Saturday’s strikes, they were in close contact with international partners, including the US, Israel, and regional partners.
"We reiterate our commitment to regional stability and to the protection of civilian life," the statement added.
Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump, responded to the statement, writing on X that he was “disappointed in the joint statement by leaders from France, Germany and the UK.”
'Europe has been pathetic' says Graham
“It is so sad to see western democracies lose their passion for justice and a sense of right and wrong the further away from their shores the event occurs. Everyone in Europe is rightly impassioned about Russia invading Ukraine. But when it comes to the long suffering people of Iran, Europe has been pathetic,” he wrote.
“To the leaders of France, Germany and the UK: the Iranian people are not wrong to demand the end to their oppression from the bloodthirsty ayatollah’s regime that has American and European blood on their hands. You collectively are the ones that are wrong by refusing to come to the Iranian people’s aid and adding insult to injury, you’re suggesting we should continue to negotiate with religious Nazis. It is pathetic,” Graham added.
Saudi Arabia was also critical of Iran’s attacks on its own soil and other countries across the region, with the Foreign Ministry releasing a statement saying it “strongly condemns the flagrant Iranian aggression and blatant violation of the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.”
“The Kingdom affirms its full solidarity and stands firmly with these brotherly nations, offering all its resources to support them. Saudi Arabia also warns of the serious consequences that may result from continued violations of national sovereignty and the principles of international law,” the statement continued.
Other world leaders came out in support of the strikes and the Iranian people.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that it was important for Washington to act so decisively, but also warned that the hostilities should not escalate into a wider war.
"Whenever there is American resolve, global criminals weaken," he wrote on social media.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry backed up Zelensky’s statement by saying that the country would continue to support the Iranian people "and their legitimate desire to live in security, freedom, and prosperity.”
Their statement, also posted on X, pointed a finger at Russia as supporting the Iranian regime and said the “cooperation between the regimes in Moscow and Tehran constitutes a gross violation of international law and undermines global efforts to restore peace and stability.”
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in a lengthy post on X, wrote that “Australia stands with the brave people of Iran in their struggle against oppression. For decades, the Iranian regime has been a destabilizing force, through its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, support for armed proxies, and brutal acts of violence and intimidation.”
He added: “Iran directed at least two attacks on Australian soil in 2024. These appalling acts targeting Australia’s Jewish community were intended to create fear, divide our society, and challenge our sovereignty.”
However, there were some expressed criticism of the Israeli and American military action, including former Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev and French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan, who was detained by Israeli forces last June after trying to enter Israel on the Madleen Freedom Flotilla.
“The peacekeeper is at it again. The talks with Iran were just a cover. Everyone knew that. 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…,” Medvedev, who is currently Deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, wrote in a post on X.
Hassan wrote: “Iran has the right to defend itself and Israel the right to shut up.”
But other political leaders worldwide showed support for the military actions, with US Senator
Meanwhile, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar called Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to condemn Israel and the US, calling the strikes "baseless," and demanding an "immediate halt to escalating tensions," Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.