Global powers urge de-escalation as Israel-Iran conflict intensifies

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - World leaders on Friday called for urgent de-escalation after Israel launched a deadly strike on Iran, prompting retaliatory drone attacks and sparking fears of a wider regional conflict.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced support for Israel’s right to self-defense while calling for de-escalation.

“We reaffirm that Israel has the right to defend its existence and the security of its citizens,” Merz said on X. “We call on both sides to refrain from steps that could lead to further escalation and destabilize the entire region.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom is working with Middle Eastern partners to calm tensions.

“We urge all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently. Escalation serves no one in the region,” he said.

Early Friday morning, Israel conducted what it called a “preemptive strike” targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and senior military commanders. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation, dubbed Rising Lion, aimed to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival,” and warned that it could continue for days.

US President Donald Trump warned that Israel’s attack “will only get worse” and urged Iran to reach a deal with Washington on its nuclear program.

“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire,” he said in a social media post. “No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”

Despite the escalation, Iran and the United States are scheduled to continue nuclear negotiations on Sunday.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that Iran responded by launching more than 100 drones toward Israel, activating its air defense systems.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told local broadcaster Sky TG24 that both sides must avoid further escalation.

“Our diplomatic action with Israel and with Iran is to avoid an escalation. It is a political commitment,” he said, calling for the resumption of talks to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel’s strikes in a statement.

“Unprovoked military strikes on a sovereign UN member state, its citizens and its peacefully slumbering cities, as well as its nuclear energy infrastructure, are categorically unacceptable. The international community cannot afford to be indifferent toward such atrocities, which undermine peace and damage regional and international security,” the statement read.

Moscow also accused Western countries of fueling “anti-Iranian hysteria.”

Iranian media confirmed the deaths of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief Hossein Salami, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri, and Aerospace Force Commander Major General Amirali Hajizadeh. Six nuclear scientists and dozens of civilians were also killed, according to reports.

Iran has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the Israeli attack as “grave and highly irresponsible.” The two countries do not maintain diplomatic relations.

“I convey my deepest sympathies to the Iranian people on the loss of lives in this attack,” Sharif said on X.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, during a visit to Stockholm, said “this was a unilateral action by Israel,” adding, “I think it is crucial for many allies, including the United States, to work as we speak to de-escalate.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also urged restraint.

“Europe urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint, de-escalate immediately and refrain from retaliation. A diplomatic resolution is now more urgent than ever, for the sake of the region’s stability and global security,” she said in a social media post.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed “deep concern” over the Israeli strikes and called on “relevant parties to take actions that promote regional peace and stability and to avoid further escalation of tensions.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also condemned the attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility in Isfahan province and called for restraint from all sides.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi expressed “deep concern” and reiterated that “nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as it could harm both people and the environment.”

The condemnation came a day after the IAEA adopted a resolution declaring Iran in “non-compliance” with its nuclear safeguards obligations for the first time in 20 years.

Turkey, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian group Hamas had earlier condemned the Israeli strikes as unlawful and warned they could trigger broader regional escalation and jeopardize diplomatic efforts.

Iranian national emergency services spokesperson Mojtaba Khaledi told state television that at least 95 people were wounded across a dozen provinces. Earlier reports from a hospital in Tehran indicated that 35 of the 50 patients admitted were women and children.