IsraelIran

World leaders and senior officials have called on both Israel and Iran to walk back from the brink of all-out war as the bitter enemies traded intense attacks for a second day.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Saturday that Israel’s strikes on Iranian infrastructure had set its nuclear programme back years, without providing evidence, but rejected global calls for restraint.

“We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs’ regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days,” he said in a video message.

During its surprise attack on Friday, the Israeli army targeted more than 200 military and nuclear sites, killing top Iranian army commanders, scientists and other senior officials.

Iran strong retaliation penetrated Israel’s lauded missile defence on Friday night and overnight into Saturday, with air raid sirens sounding across Israel. At least four people were killed, with the Israeli military saying Iran had fired about 200 ballistic missiles in four waves.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Saturday of a “more severe and powerful response” if Israel continued to strike.

In light of the escalation, world leaders have spoken to Iranian and Israeli top officials, fearing a possible regional war.

Here is what some countries have said:

US/Russia

The United States President Donald Trump says he spoke to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. “He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

Earlier, top Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters Putin spoke to Trump and condemned Israel’s attacks on Iran. Putin “expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East”, Ushakov said,

According to Ushakov, Trump described the current events in the Middle East as “very alarming”.

The two leaders did not rule out a return to the negotiating meetings on Iran’s nuclear programme, Ushakov said.

Turkiye

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Iranian president that Israel was looking to “drag the whole region into the fire,” according to a statement from the Turkish presidency. Erdogan also told Pezeshkian that Israel’s attacks aimed to divert attention from the genocide in Gaza.

Erdogan told Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Israel needed “to be stopped”, calling it “the main threat to stability and security in the region”. The issue of Iran’s nuclear programme “can only be resolved through negotiations”, he added. The Turkish leader also spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Similarly, Erdogan told Trump in a phone call that he sees nuclear negotiations as the only way to resolve the conflict.

Erdogan told Trump that Turkiye supports Washington’s view that nuclear negotiations should continue to resolve the fighting and that Ankara is ready to help prevent an uncontrolled escalation, a statement by his office said.

China

Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to his Iranian and Israeli counterparts and made clear Beijing’s support for Tehran.

Wang told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Beijing “supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty, defending its legitimate rights and interests, and ensuring the safety of its people”, according to a statement by the foreign ministry.

Wang told Araghchi that Israel’s actions “seriously violate … the basic norms governing international relations”, adding attacks on nuclear facilities “have set a dangerous precedent with potentially catastrophic consequences”.

During his conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Wang expressed that its attack on Iran was “unacceptable”.

“Diplomatic means for the Iranian nuclear issue have not been exhausted, and there is still hope for a peaceful solution. Force cannot bring lasting peace,” Wang said, adding that Beijing was willing to play a role in de-escalating the conflict.

Qatar

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also spoke with Pezeshkian and reiterated Qatar’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli attack targeting the territory of Iran, considering it a “blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security, and a clear breach of the rules and principles of international law”.

The Qatari leader also called for a diplomatic solution to reach a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.

Saudi Arabia

Pezeshkian has held a phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, IRNA reports. The Saudi State news agency confirmed the call.

“Since taking office as president, I have sought to strengthen peace, stability and security in the region, but the Zionist regime has disrupted and sabotaged every area where we wanted to achieve something,” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying.

The Saudi crown prince said, “the Kingdom condemns ongoing attacks that undermine Iran’s sovereignty and security. ”

Ties between Riyadh and Tehran have improved significantly since the two countries agreed to restore diplomatic relations in 2023 after years of animosity.

United Kingdom

The British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday that the UK is moving military assets, including fighter jets, to the Middle East for contingency support across the region.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he was “alarmed” by the overnight strikes “with reports of fatalities and injuries in Israel”. “We must urgently de-escalate & prevent any further harm to civilians,” Lammy said on X, adding that he had spoken to his Iranian counterpart “to urge calm”.

Germany

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul spoke to his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and warned that the risk of “further escalation is real.” “Iran’s nuclear program threatens not only Israel, but also Saudi Arabia and the broader stability of the region. The countries here share a clear goal: to prevent nuclear proliferation. Germany is firmly committed to de-escalation,” he wrote on X.

France

President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke to his Iranian counterpart and called for French “diplomatic facilities and nationals in Iran and the wider region not to be targeted under any circumstances”. “I also urged the utmost restraint to avoid escalation. Iran’s nuclear program is a serious concern and must be resolved through negotiation,” Macron wrote on X.

“I therefore invited President [Masoud] Pezeshkian to return swiftly to the negotiating table to reach an agreement — the only viable path to de-escalation … We stand ready to contribute and to mobilise all our efforts to achieve that goal,” he added.

Vatican

Pope Leo XIV called on Israel and Iran to show responsibility and reason.

“The situation in Iran and Israel has seriously deteriorated at such a delicate moment. I wish to forcefully renew an appeal for responsibility and reason,” the pope said in a statement. “The commitment to build a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through a respectful meeting and sincere dialogue,” he said.

“No one should ever threaten the existence of the other,” he added.

EXPLAINER

Iranian lawmaker says Tehran considering closing waterway, described as ‘world’s most important oil transit chokepoint’.

Iran is considering closing the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian news agency IRINN has reported, citing key conservative lawmaker Esmail Kosari, as the conflict with Israel intensifies.

The move would send oil prices soaring and risk expanding the war. So what is the strategic waterway and why is it vital to global trade?

Hormuz is the only marine entryway into the Persian Gulf. It splits Iran on one side and Oman and the United Arab Emirates on the other, and it links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, about 20 percent of global oil consumption flows through the strait, which the agency describes as the “world’s most important oil transit chokepoint”. At its narrowest point, it is 33km (21 miles) wide, but shipping lanes in the waterway are even narrower, making them vulnerable to attacks and threats of being shut down.

During the Iran-Iraq conflict between 1980 and 1988, which killed hundreds of thousands on both sides, both countries targeted commercial vessels in the Gulf in what became known as the Tanker War, but Hormuz was never completely closed.

More recently, in 2019, four ships were attacked near the strait off the coast of Fujairah, UAE, amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States during Donald Trump’s first presidency. Washington blamed Tehran for the incident, but Iran denied the allegations.

Attacking shipping lanes has long been used to apply pressure amid conflict. Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen have been attacking ships around Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the entryway into the Red Sea on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.

While the Houthi campaign has affected global commerce, ships can avoid the Red Sea by sailing around Africa – a longer but safer journey. However, there is no way to ship anything by sea out of the Gulf without going through Hormuz.

Even countries that do not import petrol from Gulf countries would be affected if the strait were to be closed because a major drop in supply would spike the price per barrel on the global market.

Despite the Iranian lawmaker’s threat, it is unclear whether Iran has the ability or willingness to shut down the strait.

Such a move would almost certainly invoke retaliation from the US, which has naval military assets in the region.

After Israel launched a wave of attacks across Iran early on Friday, targeting military leaders, residential buildings, army bases and nuclear sites, Iran responded with hundreds of ballistic missiles.

Although the US helped shoot down the Iranian missiles, Washington has not directly attacked Iran. US officials have stressed that Washington was not involved in the Israeli strikes.

Tehran has not targeted US troops or interests in the region, either.

Closing Hormuz, however, would hit Americans in the wallet and could spark a military response from Trump.

While an Iranian move against the strait may not be imminent, Kosari’s comments underscore that attacking shipping lanes is a card that Tehran may play amid the hostilities.

In April 2024, Iranian armed forces seized a container ship near the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions across the region after a deadly Israeli attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus, Syria. A limited Iranian strike on Israel in response was followed by an Israeli one on Iran. At the time, they were the most serious direct military exchanges between the two foes.

Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has warned that there is a “chance of massive conflict” in the Middle East, confirming that an Israeli attack on Iran is “possible”.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump said he would “love to avoid the conflict” and suggested that the US would like Israel to hold off on plans to strike Iran’s nuclear sites while Washington and Tehran continue their negotiations.

“I want to have an agreement with Iran. We’re fairly close to an agreement … I’d much prefer an agreement,” the US president said.

“As long as I think there is an agreement, I don’t want them [the Israelis] going in because I think that would blow it – might help it actually, but it also could blow it.”

Yet, Trump said that an Israeli attack “could very well happen” without elaborating whether the US would participate or assist in any strikes.

His comments came a day after the US pulled some of its diplomats from the region and put its embassies on high alert amid reports of a possible Israeli attack on Iran.

“There’s a chance of massive conflict,” Trump said.

“We have a lot of American people in this area. And I said: We’ve got to tell them to get out because something could happen soon, and I don’t want to be the one that didn’t give any warning, and missiles are flying into their buildings. It’s possible.”

Later on Thursday, the US president reiterated his commitments to diplomacy with Iran. “My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran,” he wrote in a social media post. “They could be a Great Country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon.”

Nuclear talks

US and Iranian officials have held several rounds of talks since April to reach a nuclear deal to avert war.

Trump’s stated position is that Iran will never be allowed to obtain nuclear bombs.

Tehran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, but it stresses that it has a right to domestically enrich uranium – a process of altering the uranium atom to produce nuclear fuel.

But US officials have suggested that Iran must give up its enrichment capabilities to ensure that it cannot militarise its nuclear programme.

Despite the apparent impasse, the talks have continued. US and Iranian officials are scheduled to hold a sixth round of negotiations in Oman on Sunday.

Trump previously expressed optimism about the chances of reaching an agreement.

But tensions spiked in recent days.

Earlier this week, Iran said it obtained a trove of secret documents on Israel’s own undeclared nuclear arsenal.

While Israel has not publicly said that it will attack Iran, the US move to partially evacuate its embassy in Baghdad and pull personnel from diplomatic posts across the Middle East on Wednesday raised concerns that violence could break out.

Moreover, the United Nations nuclear watchdog (IAEA) passed a resolution, put forward by the US, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, on Thursday that accused Iran of failing to comply with its nuclear obligations.

Tehran forcefully rejected the measure, accusing Washington and its allies of politically exploiting the international body.

During his first term, in 2018, Trump nixed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which saw Iran scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions against its economy.

Since then, the US has been piling sanctions on Iran. Tehran has responded by escalating its nuclear programme.

Iran warns against ‘aggression’

Early in his second term, Trump signed an executive order to tighten sanctions against Iran to choke off the country’s oil exports, particularly to China. But the US president has also stressed repeatedly that he does not want war.

Israel has been claiming for more than 20 years that Iran is on the cusp of obtaining a nuclear weapon.

In recent months, Israeli officials have suggested that they see an opportune moment to strike Iran, after the blows that Tehran’s regional allies suffered last year, including the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Israel has never been stronger and the Iran terror axis has never been weaker,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in February.

Iran has been warning that it would retaliate harshly against any Israeli attack.

“Iran is currently at its highest level of military readiness, and if the United States or the Zionist regime attempts any act of aggression, they will be caught by surprise,” an unidentified Iranian official told Press TV on Thursday.

It is unclear whether Israel has the military power to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities, built deep underground and inside mountains, without direct US involvement – the billions of dollars in military aid that the US gives Israel every year notwithstanding.

Since the outbreak of the war on Gaza in October 2023, Iran and Israel have exchanged several rounds of attacks.