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How agelong volition it last? Will it grow? What volition the struggle and the reported decease of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei mean to us, and to planetary information overall? Those questions echoed crossed the Middle East and the satellite connected Saturday (February 28, 2026) arsenic satellite leaders reacted warily to U.S. and Israeli strikes connected Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump said connected societal media that Khamenei was dead, calling it “the azygous top accidental for the Iranian radical to instrumentality backmost their Country.” Iranian authorities media said aboriginal Sunday (March 1, 2026) the 86-year-old person had died without elaborating connected a cause.
Israeli officials antecedently told The Associated Press connected information of anonymity that Khamenei was dead. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, successful a televised address, said determination were “growing signs” that Khamenei had been killed erstwhile Israel struck his compound aboriginal Saturday (February 28, 2026).
The evident demise of the 2nd person of the Islamic Republic, who had nary designated successor, would apt propulsion its aboriginal into uncertainty — and exacerbate already increasing concerns of a broader conflict. The UN Security Council scheduled an exigency meeting.
Perhaps cautious astir upsetting already strained relations with Mr. Trump, galore nations abstained from commenting straight oregon pointedly connected the associated strikes but condemned Tehran's retaliation. Similar to Europeans, governments crossed the Middle East condemned Iran's strikes connected Arab neighbours portion staying soundless connected the U.S. and Israeli subject action.
Other countries were much explicit: Australia and Canada expressed unfastened enactment for the U.S. strikes, portion Russia and China responded with nonstop criticism.
The U.S. and Israel launched a large onslaught connected Iran connected Saturday (February 28, 2026), and Mr. Trump called connected the Iranian nationalist to “seize power of your destiny” by rising up against the Islamic theocracy that has ruled the federation since 1979. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. subject bases successful the Middle East.
Some leaders impulse resumption of talks
In a statement, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called connected the U.S. and Iran to resume talks and said they favoured a negotiated settlement. They said their countries didn't instrumentality portion successful the strikes connected Iran but are successful adjacent interaction with the U.S., Israel and partners successful the region.
The 3 countries person led efforts to scope a negotiated solution implicit Iran's atomic program.
“We condemn Iranian attacks connected countries successful the portion successful the strongest terms. Iran indispensable refrain from indiscriminate subject strikes," they said. "Ultimately, the Iranian radical indispensable beryllium allowed to find their future,” they said.
Later, astatine an exigency information meeting, Mr. Macron said France was “neither warned nor involved” successful the strikes. He called for intensified efforts for a negotiated solution, saying “no 1 tin deliberation that the questions of Iran's atomic program, ballistic activity, determination destabilisation volition beryllium settled by strikes alone.”
The 22-nation Arab League called the Iranian attacks “a blatant usurpation of the sovereignty of countries that advocator for bid and strive for stability.” That conjugation of nations has historically condemned some Israel and Iran for actions it says hazard destabilising the region.
Morocco, Jordan, Syria and the United Arab Emirates denounced Iranian strikes targeting U.S. subject bases successful the region, including successful Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the Emirates.
Under erstwhile President Bashar Assad, Syria was among Iran's closest determination allies and a staunch professional of Israel, yet a connection from its Foreign Ministry singularly condemned Iran, reflecting the caller government's efforts to rebuild ties with determination economical heavyweights and the United States.
Saudi Arabia said it “condemns and denounces successful the strongest presumption the treacherous Iranian aggression and the blatant usurpation of sovereignty.” Oman, which has been mediating the talks betwixt Iran and the U.S., said successful a connection that the U.S. enactment “constitutes a usurpation of the rules of planetary instrumentality and the rule of settling disputes done peaceful means, alternatively than done hostility and the shedding of blood.”
Careful wording is (mostly) the bid of the day
New Zealand refrained from full-throated enactment but acknowledged connected Saturday (February 28, 2026) that the U.S. and Israeli attacks were keeping the Iranian authorities from remaining an ongoing threat. “The legitimacy of a authorities rests connected the enactment of its people,” New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters said successful a associated statement. “The Iranian authorities has agelong since mislaid that support."
Countries successful Europe and the Middle East utilized cautious wording, avoiding perceptions that they either enactment unilateral American enactment oregon are straight condemning the United States.
Others were much blunt. Russia's Foreign Ministry called the strikes “a pre-planned and unprovoked enactment of equipped aggression against a sovereign and autarkic UN subordinate state.” The Ministry accused Washington and Tel Aviv of “hiding behind” concerns astir Iran's atomic programme portion really pursuing authorities change.
Similarly, China's authorities said it was “highly concerned” astir the U.S. and Israeli strikes connected Iran and called for an contiguous halt to the subject enactment and a instrumentality to negotiations. “Iran's sovereignty, information and territorial integrity should beryllium respected,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry connection said.
Despite caller tensions with the U.S., Canada besides expressed its enactment for the subject action. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is the main root of instability and panic passim the Middle East,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said.
Concerns expressed of new, extensive' war
Nervousness is perceptible crossed aggregate countries. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that helium was acrophobic the nonaccomplishment of negotiations betwixt the U.S. and Iran meant a “new, extended warfare successful the Middle East."
The Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons condemned the U.S. and Israeli strikes connected Iran successful harsher words. “These attacks are wholly irresponsible and hazard provoking further escalation arsenic good arsenic expanding the information of atomic proliferation and the usage of atomic weapons,” said its enforcement director, Melissa Parke.
EU leaders issued a associated connection connected Saturday (February 28, 2026) calling for restraint and engaging successful determination diplomacy successful hopes of “ensuring atomic safety.” The Arab League, too, appealed to each planetary parties “to enactment towards de-escalation arsenic soon arsenic possible, to spare the portion the scourge of instability and violence, and to instrumentality to dialogue.”
