Multiple countries voice concerns, call for restraint following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran

Multiple countries expressed concerns after the United States and Israel on Saturday launched "major combat operations" against Iran, and after Iran retaliated with a series of counterattacks against Israeli and U.S. targets across the region.

Iran's state media confirmed Sunday that its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Saturday, prompting Iranian missile strikes on Israel and U.S. targets across the region.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said that the strikes hit at least 24 of Iran's 31 provinces, with 201 deaths and 747 injuries reported so far.

The latest escalation in this war-torn region has triggered urgent calls for restraint from the international community.

On Saturday evening, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the military strikes against Iran launched by the U.S. and Israel, urging all parties to remain rational and maintain restraint, and to resolve their differences through dialogue and negotiation.

Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, the foreign minister of Cuba, said that the attacks by the U.S. and Israel on Iran violate Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity, labeling such actions as "irresponsible" and detrimental to international peace and security.

Yemen's Houthi group said on Saturday that attacks on Iran are part of a broader effort to undermine regional deterrence, warning that the United States and Israel would bear responsibility for the escalation and its impact on regional security.

Yemen's internationally recognized government warned against any Houthi military action in support of Iran or any attempt to use Yemeni territory to strike neighboring countries or international targets.

Jordanian government Spokesman Mohammad Momani said that Jordan's position is clear: the escalation of the regional situation must be stopped. He emphasized that Jordan will not involve in any regional conflict and is not a party to such conflict, asserting that the country will never allow anyone to infringe upon its sovereignty. 　 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that Spain rejects the unilateral military action taken by the United States and Israel, warning that it represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order.

Additionally, the governments of the UK, France, the Netherlands, and other countries have said they are closely monitoring the current situation, urging all parties to exercise restraint and prevent further escalation. On Saturday, Lebanon's Hezbollah issued a statement strongly condemning the aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran, accusing them of violating international law and escalating the tensions in the region.

Multiple countries voice concerns, call for restraint following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran

Nicaragua's co-foreign minister Valdrack Jaentschke has warned that militarism must never be allowed to rise again, as Japan's recent moves to lift its arms export ban and revise the pacifist Constitution continue to draw international concern.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials, where Japan's Class-A war criminals from World War II were brought to justice.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Valdrack Jaentschke voiced his concern that today's world order is being undermined by interventionism and other challenges.

"It is necessary for us to remember that after the end of World War II, countries worked hard to build a new international order based on international law. However, regrettably, more than 80 years later, we are seeing that this once explored and attempted order is being challenged by interventionism, a confrontational mindset, and tendencies like 'might makes right.' These are precisely the conditions that gave rise to fascism and militarism in the past, which ultimately led to the tragedy of World War II," he said.

He said the international community has a responsibility to pursue a new international order -- one fundamentally grounded in peace.

"Looking back at the history more than eight decades ago and comparing it with today's reality, it is our responsibility to recognize that the world should, and must, build a new international order that is more just, fairer, rooted in international law, based on a logic of mutual benefit and shared success, and fundamentally grounded in peace," said the minister.

"Today, as we revisit the Tokyo Trials, it is meant to remind the world that such a tragedy must never be repeated -- and that we must do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again. We must stop that dark world -- born from militarism, interventionism, and fascism -- from ever returning," he said.

Nicaraguan FM warns of militarism revival