U.S. strikes on Iran nuclear facilities see Hamas and the Houthis vow retaliation, as world leaders react

The U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear sites has fueled fears that Israel’s war with Tehran could escalate into a wider regional conflict, and other countries reacted Sunday with calls for diplomacy and words of caution. President Trump had said Thursday that he would decide within two weeks whether to get involved. In the end, it took just days, and Washington inserted itself into Israel’s campaign with its early Sunday attack­­­.

It remained unclear early on how much damage had been inflicted, but Mr. Trump lauded the “massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear assemblies in the Iranian regime: Fordo, Natanz and Esfahan,” as a “massive military success.”

Iran had pledged to retaliate if the U.S. joined the Israeli assault, and President Trump reiterated his stern warning to the Islamic Republic on Sunday night against targeting any U.S. assets in the region.

Some have questioned whether a weakened Iran would capitulate or remain defiant and begin striking with allies at U.S. targets scattered across the Gulf region. There are roughly 40,000 American troops deployed in the Middle East, many of them based within easy striking distance of Iran’s missiles, though its stockpile of such weapons has been depleted by a week of Israeli attacks.

Below is a look at reactions from various governments and other officials around the world.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke following the strikes, the officials said. And in a video address, Netanyahu praised the president for conducting the strikes. 

“President Trump and I often say peace through strength. First comes strength, then comes peace. And tonight President Trump and the United States acted with a lot of strength.” 

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, in a post on social media, called the U.S. strikes “a moment when the principles of liberty, responsibility, and security have triumphed. A decisive moment between the axis of terror and evil and the axis of hope.”

He thanked the U.S. and President Trump specifically, saying: “This brave step serves the security and safety of the entire free world. I hope it will lead to a better future for the Middle East — and help advance the urgent release of our hostages held in captivity in Gaza.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that “in accordance with” the United Nations Charter “and its provisions Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”

Araghchi said the U.S. had “committed a grave violation of the UN Charter” with its attack on Iran, and in subsequent statements posted on social media, he accused the Trump administration of having “decided to blow up” diplomatic efforts.

“Last week, we were in negotiations with the US when Israel decided to blow up that diplomacy. This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy. What conclusion would you draw? To Britain and the EU High Rep, it is Iran which must ‘return’ to the table. But how can Iran return to something it never left, let alone blew up?”

In a statement, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Sunday that with its strikes, the U.S. had “practically placed itself at the forefront of aggression by directly attacking peaceful facilities.”

It alluded to plans to attack U.S. assets in the Middle East, saying “the number, dispersion, and size of U.S. military bases in the region are not a strength, but have doubled their vulnerability.”

The IRGC said its attacks on Israel “will continue precisely, purposefully and fiercely,” and that the U.S. decision to join Israel’s strikes would see it “use options beyond the understanding and illusory calculations of the aggressor,” promising unspecified “regrettable responses.”

Speaking to reporters later Sunday in Istanbul, Turkey, Araghchi said he would travel on Sunday to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for “serious consultations,” citing Iran and Russia’s “strategic partnership.”

In statements relayed by Russian state-run news agencies, the Kremlin strongly condemned the U.S. attacks on Iran on Sunday, calling Mr. Trump’s decision to carry them out “irresponsible,” and a violation of international law that would significantly increase the risks of a broader war in the Middle East. 

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was “gravely alarmed” by the use of force by the United States.

“There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control — with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,” he said in a statement posted on social media. “I call on Member States to de-escalate.”

“There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy.”

Both the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas have condemned the U.S. strikes. The Houthis vowed to support Iran in its fight against “the Zionist and American aggression.”

In a statement on Sunday, the Houthi political bureau called on Muslim nations to join “the Jihad and resistance option as one front against the Zionist-American arrogance.”

Hamas and the Houthis are part of Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance,” the collection of pro-Iranian proxies stretching from Yemen to Lebanon that for years gave Iran considerable power across the region.

Hamas, long designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., Israel and the European Union, has ruled the Gaza Strip for almost 20 years. It has been under blistering attack by Israeli forces since it launched its unprecedented Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel, sparking the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory.

Virtually all of Hamas’ senior leaders have been killed, and it remains unclear how much capacity the group still has to mount major attacks on Israel.

The Houthis, too, have seen their missile and other military assets in Yemen pounded by Israeli warplanes for months, along with U.S. and British strikes aimed at reducing the Houthi threat to shipping in the region.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that Lebanon needs to stay away from any possible regional spillover from the conflict.

“It is increasingly important for us to adhere strictly to the supreme national interest, which is the need to avoid Lebanon being … drawn into the ongoing regional confrontation in any way,” Salam said in a post on X.

Lebanon, which sits just north of Israel, is the long-time home of the Iranian-backed, Hamas-allied Hezbollah group. Long designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., Hezbollah has also engaged in warfare with Israel since the Hamas-orchestrated, Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack.

Hezbollah has for many years been considered one of Iran’s best-armed and most potent proxy forces in the region, but much of its leadership has been killed and its fighting capacity reduced by successive Israeli strikes and months of cross-border ground operations that saw Israeli forces push deep into southern Lebanon.

It remains unclear whether Hezbollah will join in any Iranian retaliatory strikes against Israel or U.S. installations in the region, or what capacity it retains to do so.

A flash commentary from China’s government-run media asked whether the U.S. is “repeating its Iraq mistake in Iran.”

The online piece by CGTN, the foreign-language arm of the state broadcaster, said the U.S. strikes mark a dangerous turning point.

“History has repeatedly shown that military interventions in the Middle East often produce unintended consequences, including prolonged conflicts and regional destabilization,” it said, citing the American invasion of Iraq in 2003.

It said a measured, diplomatic approach that prioritizes dialogue over military confrontation offers the best hope for stability in the Middle East.

“Iran’s nuclear program is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the U.S. has taken action to alleviate that threat,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday on a statement posted on social media. 

“The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority,” he added. “We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.”

“Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, as it would be a threat to international security. I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation,” European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a tweet.

She added that Foreign Ministers from the EU’s 27 member states would meet Monday, “to discuss the situation.”

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters urged “all parties to return to talks.”

He wouldn’t tell reporters Sunday whether New Zealand supported President Trump’s actions, saying they had only just happened.

The three-time foreign minister said the crisis is “the most serious I’ve ever dealt with” and that it was “critical further escalation is avoided.”

“Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action,” he said.

Australia, which shuttered its embassy in Tehran and evacuated staff Friday, pushed for a diplomatic end to the conflict.

“We have been clear that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program has been a threat to international peace and security,” a government official said in a written statement. “We note the U.S. President’s statement that now is the time for peace.”

“The security situation in the region is highly volatile. We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.”

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