A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on Feb. 28, 2026.
Countries in the Middle East and around the world voiced fear of a regional conflagration after the United States and Israel carried out long-feared strikes on Iran on Saturday.
UN
The United Nations' rights chief deplored Saturday's strikes in the Middle East and urged all parties to return to negotiations, saying attacks would only result in "death, destruction and human misery".
"I deplore the military strikes across Iran this morning by Israel and the United States of America, and the subsequent retaliatory strikes by Iran," Volker Turk said in a statement.
"As always, in any armed conflict, it is civilians who end up paying the ultimate price.
"Bombs and missiles are not the way to resolve differences but only result in death, destruction and human misery.
"To avert these terrible consequences for civilians, I call for restraint and implore all parties to see reason, to de-escalate, and for a return to the negotiating table where they had been actively seeking a solution only hours earlier," he said.
"Failing to do so risks an even wider conflict, that will inevitably lead to further senseless civilian deaths and destruction on a potentially unimaginable scale, not just in Iran but across the Middle East region."
Russia
Russia called on its citizens to leave Iran, with former president Dmitry Medvedev saying that talks with the United States had just been a "cover".
"The peacekeeper is at it again," Medvedev, now the chair of Russia's security council, said in a post on X.
"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?" he added.
Qatar
Qatar, which hosts a U.S. military base, initially said it was secure after the U.S. and Israeli attacks on neighbouring Iran but was monitoring developments closely.
An official later told AFP that Qatari defense systems had intercepted an Iranian missile, and the defense ministry said it had repelled "a number of attacks".
European Union
The European Union warned the situation in the region was "perilous" and called for civilians to be protected in any ensuing conflict.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, on X, urged "all parties to exercise restraint", stressing it was "critical" to "ensure nuclear safety" after the U.S. indicated Iran's nuclear sites were in its crosshairs.
EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, who said the situation was dangerous, announcing the withdrawal of the bloc's non-essential personnel from the region.
United Kingdom
The U.K. government feared the strikes could blow up into a broader Middle East conflict, and urged its citizens in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE to find shelter.
"We do not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict," a government spokesperson said, adding that the U.K.'s "immediate priority" was the safety of its citizens in the region.
Jordan
Jordan's military said its air force was at work on Saturday to protect the kingdom and its people while the strikes were ongoing.
A military official later said that two ballistic missiles targeting the kingdom's territory "were successfully intercepted by Jordanian air defense systems".
Ukraine
Ukraine argued that the Iranian government's "violence against its own people and other countries" had triggered the U.S. and Israeli attacks against Tehran.
"The reason for the current events is precisely the violence and arbitrariness of the Iranian regime, in particular the murders and repressions against peaceful protesters, which have become particularly large-scale in recent months," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
France
France, which has several military bases in the Middle East, notably in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, said that Paris's priority was the safety of its citizens.
"Obviously our priority in these sort of cases is the protection of our nationals, the protection of our forces in the region and the monitoring of the situation in real time, which we are doing," Alice Rufo, a deputy defense minister, told France 2 television.
African Union
The African Union called "for restraint, urgent de-escalation and sustained dialogue" after the strikes, warning that conflict could risk harming people on the continent.
"Further escalation risks worsening global instability, with serious implications for energy markets, food security, and economic resilience — particularly in Africa, where conflict and economic pressures remain acute," said the pan-African body's head, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.
Also, Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last shah and a leading critic of Tehran, said that "we are very close to final victory" following the strikes.
"I want to be by your side as soon as possible so that together we can take back and rebuild Iran," Pahlavi — who lives in exile in the Washington area — said in a message to Iranians.
