US-Israel strikes on Iran trigger retaliation: Live Updates, reactions (VIDEO)

World reacts to US-Israeli strike on Iran

The strikes came after indirect nuclear talks in Geneva between Tehran and Washington ended without a breakthrough on Friday and amid a major US military build-up in the region.

• Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, who has mediated the latest nuclear talks in Geneva, said the US-Israeli action had undermined peace efforts. “Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this,” he said.

• In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin convened a Security Council meeting by videoconference to discuss the situation, the Kremlin said. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned the move as an “unprovoked armed attack” and urged an immediate halt to the strikes, saying Russia was ready to work through the UN Security Council to seek a diplomatic solution.

• French President Emmanuel Macron warned that an “outbreak of war” in the Middle East would carry grave consequences for international peace and security.

• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez criticized what Madrid described as unilateral US and Israeli military action, saying it represented an escalation and risked deepening global instability.

• A British government spokesperson said Iran “must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon” and called for a negotiated solution.

• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said “bombs and missiles are not the way to resolve differences,” urging restraint and a return to negotiations.

• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa supported American efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and from threatening international peace and security.

• Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said it would not accept being drawn into matters that threaten its security and unity.

• Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said that while Israel had described its action as preventive, such strikes were not in line with international law without an imminent threat.

• In Tehran, a spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces general staff said the Islamic Republic would teach what he called “criminal” Israel and the “aggressive” United States a lesson they had “never experienced in their history,” adding in a televised interview that the strikes had taken place during negotiations with Washington.

Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for Iran’s armed forces general staff, said Tehran would teach “criminal” Israel and the “aggressive” US a lesson they had “never experienced in their history.”

In a televised interview following the US-Israeli strikes, he urged Iranians not to worry and said the attacks had come during negotiations with Washington.

He added that, as previously promised by the Revolutionary Guards, Iran had launched missile strikes against American bases and locations used to support Israel’s operations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a Security Council meeting by videoconference to discuss the situation surrounding Iran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, a key mediator in the US-Iran nuclear talks, has said that US-Israeli strikes against Iran have undermined peace negotiations. “Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this,” he stressed.

The third round of the negotiations finished in Geneva only two days ago.

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s late US-backed shah who was toppled in 1979 and who hasn’t been on Iranian soil for decades, welcomed the US-Israeli strikes, calling it “a humanitarian intervention” and thanking Donald Trump for delivering on his promise for aid.

He went on to urge Iranians to prepare for new protests, saying “it is we, the people of Iran, who will finish the job in this final battle.”

An unverified clip from Qatar shows what looks like a downed Iranian missile falling on a residential area in Doha, with an explosion and fire ensuing.

The Houthis in Yemen, who have had traditionally close ties with Iran, have vowed to resume strikes on Red Sea shipping routes and Israel, two sources with the movement have told the AP.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Aragchi on Saturday, according to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow.

Lavrov condemned the “unprovoked armed attack” by the US and Israel on Iran, and urged an immediate halt to the strikes. He stressed that Russia is ready, including in the UN Security Council, to facilitate the search for peaceful solutions based on international law, mutual respect, and a balance of interests.

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that the “outbreak of war” in the Middle East “carries grave consequences for international peace and security” while urging for a UN Security Council meeting.

He insisted that Iran must “understand that it now has no other option but to engage in good faith in negotiations to end its nuclear and ballistic programs.”

A UK government spokesperson has said Iran “must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon” while calling for a “negotiated solution.”

The spokesman stressed that while “we do not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict,” the UK “stand[s] ready to protect our interests.”