A few hours ago, we reported that the United States military had attacked Iran between the hours of Saturday and Sunday, escalating the conflict in the Middle East. Iran has so far only launched a minor retaliatory strike against Israel, while Iran has suffered huge losses around its nuclear facilities – and Israel is attacking again. Of course, the world's leading powers did not wait long to react, most of them expressing their position on the escalated situation on their social media pages.

Let's start with the American reactions, because not everyone in the United States agreed with President Trump's decision. For example, Democratic Representative Chuck Schumer suggested to Congress to enforce the law that requires the president to inform Congress of military action within 48 hours.

No president should be allowed to unilaterally, with unpredictable threats and without strategy, drag the nation into war

— said Chuck Schumer. Democratic Representative Mark Warner, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he had not been informed of the strikes and warned Donald Trump to inform Congress.

Central and South American countries clearly see the US attack as aggression, with the foreign ministries of Venezuela and Cuba condemning the action against Iranian facilities, while Mexico called for a peaceful solution and urged “immediate diplomatic consultations.”

Australia and New Zealand both agree on resolving conflicts through diplomacy, but while the latter's Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, called the developments worrying, Australia is reinforcing the view that"Iran's nuclear and ballistic programs pose a threat to international peace."

Australia's view is shared by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said:"Iran's nuclear programme poses a serious threat to international security. Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and the US has taken steps to mitigate that threat. The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and regional stability is a priority. We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and find a diplomatic solution to end the crisis."

Iran's nuclear program is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat.

The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call…

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 22, 2025

Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch agreed with the Prime Minister, saying that by targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, the United States had taken decisive action against a regime that fuels global terrorism and directly threatens the United Kingdom."Iranian agents have been plotting assassinations and attacks on British soil. We must stand firmly with the United States and Israel," she said on X-en.

Nigel Farage posted that the Reform Party was behind the US military action. “Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons, the future of Israel depends on it,” he said.

Iran would have negotiated.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said"the only hope for resolving the US-Iranian tension lies in peace." Following the strikes on US nuclear facilities, the Secretary-General spoke of a"dangerous escalation" that could have catastrophic consequences for the region. Guterres stressed that the only way forward can be diplomatic, and military means will not resolve the conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a special message to the US president, in which he thanked Trump on behalf of the Israeli people for his “courage and determination.” MTI quotes the Israeli prime minister as emphasizing that the US intervention could be a turning point in the region.

We have repeatedly stated with Trump: peace must be enforced by force

– said Netanyahu, referring to the fact that Israel has been carrying out attacks on Iran's nuclear and military facilities for more than a week.

In contrast, Iran's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, has poured clean water on the conflict with the United States. He wrote on X that the overnight American strikes have eliminated any possibility of a diplomatic solution with the Americans or the Europeans.

Last week we were in talks with America when Israel decided to blow up this diplomatic effort. This week we were in talks with the E3/EU when the United States decided to blow up this effort as well. What conclusion should we draw?

– Aragchi asked.

He added that heeding British and European Union calls for Iran to “return” to the negotiating table was now unfeasible. “But how could Iran return to something it never left, let alone destroyed?” he said.

Iran's allied Yemeni Houthis wrote that the Yemeni rebel government supports its armed wing's pledge a day earlier to strike American ships in the Red Sea if Washington strikes Iran. "We reaffirm the commitment of the Republic of Yemen to the statement of the armed forces that they are ready to attack American ships and warships in the Red Sea," the government said in a statement after the United States launched attacks on Iran.

According to the reaction of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities are a serious violation of international law.

The irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb attacks, regardless of the arguments put forward, is a gross violation of international law, the UN Charter, and UN Security Council resolutions that have previously clearly defined such actions as impermissible. It is particularly worrying that the strikes were carried out by a country that is a permanent member of the UN Security Council

− they wrote on their website, then explained their position in points:

• Moscow condemns Washington's actions;
• it is necessary to assess the consequences of the attack;
• the risk of escalation of the conflict in the Middle East has significantly increased;
• the strikes have undermined the authority of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons;
• the UN Security Council must respond to the situation, jointly condemning the actions of Israel and the United States;
• they consider it necessary to issue a report by Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency;
• Russia is committed to implementing the UN Security Council resolution.

Serious consequences

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on Iran to begin nuclear talks with Israel and the United States, the chancellor's spokesman Stefan Kornelius said, according to the Times of Israel."Chancellor Merz reiterated his call for Iran to immediately begin talks with the United States and Israel in an effort to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict," Kornelius wrote in a statement.

The federal government believes that the airstrikes affected a significant part of Iran's nuclear program. An accurate assessment of the damage will only be possible later

– he adds. Merz and the German security cabinet ministers “will continue to work closely with our European Union and American partners on further steps,” the spokesperson added.

France has expressed concern following US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and called on the parties to “show restraint in order to avoid any escalation that could lead to the spread of the conflict,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Sunday.

In a message posted on the X social media site, the head of French diplomacy stated that “France was not involved in the strikes or in their planning.” He also indicated that France “is convinced that a negotiated solution within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty is necessary for a lasting solution to the issue.”

La France a pris connaissance avec préoccupation des frappes menées cette nuit par les Etats-Unis d’Amérique contre trois sites du program nucléaire iranien.

Elle n’a partiepe ni à ces frappes ni à leur planification.

Elle exhorte les parties à la retenue pour éviter toute…

— Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) June 22, 2025

Qatar is calling for de-escalation and a diplomatic solution, warning of “serious consequences” in the region after the United States joined Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Doha “stresses the need to halt all military operations and immediately return to dialogue and diplomatic channels to resolve outstanding issues,” the Qatari foreign ministry wrote in a post on X. “The foreign ministry warns that the dangerous tension currently prevailing in the region will have serious consequences both regionally and internationally,” it added.

China strongly condemns the US attacks on Iran and the bombing of nuclear facilities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Sunday. “The US action has seriously violated the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and has aggravated tensions in the Middle East,” the spokesman said. China calls on the parties to the conflict, especially Israel, to immediately establish a ceasefire, ensure the safety of civilians, and engage in dialogue and negotiations, he added. “China is ready to work with the international community to make joint efforts to uphold justice and restore peace and stability in the Middle East,” he said.

You can follow our minute-by-minute coverage of the Middle East conflict here.