Tehran – TheNewsHub

World reacts to Israeli aggression against Iran

Diksha — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 12:59:18 +0000

The Iranian army confirmed two soldiers were killed after it said the attacks on Saturday targeted military bases but resulted in only “limited damage”, the barrage marking an escalation in the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

The Israeli army announced that the operation was complete, and military spokesman Daniel Hagari said that if Iran carries out retaliatory strikes, Israel will be “obligated to respond”.

Iran’s air defence headquarters said the “aggressive action was successfully intercepted and countered by the country’s integrated air defense system”. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Iran was “entitled and obligated to defend itself against external aggressive acts” after the attacks on its soil.

Here are some world reactions:

Qatar

The attack was a “blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and a clear breach of international law,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Its statement expressed “deep concern regarding the serious repercussions that may result from this escalation” and urged all parties “to exercise restraint, resolve disputes through dialogue and peaceful means, and avoid anything that could destabilize security and stability in the region”.

The ministry reiterated a call for the international community to intensify efforts aimed at de-escalation and “ending the suffering of the peoples of the region, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon”.

Egypt

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “condemns all actions that threaten the security and stability of the region”.

In a statement, it said: “Egypt stresses its position that a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip should be reached quickly within the framework of a deal through which hostages are released given that it is the only way to de-escalate.”

Turkey

“Israel, which is committing genocide in Gaza, preparing to annex the West Bank, and killing civilians every day in Lebanon, has now brought our region to the brink of a wider war with this attack,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

“It is now clear that putting an end to Israeli terror in the region has become a historic task to ensure international security and peace,” it added in a statement, which called on the international community to “take immediate action to enforce the law and stop the [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu government”.

“We do not want any further war, violence, or lawlessness in our region,” it said.

Saudi Arabia

Condemning the military targeting Iran as a “violation of its sovereignty” and international laws, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged all parties to “exercise the utmost restraint and reduce escalation”.

The ministry said in a statement, “The Kingdom affirms its firm position in its rejection of the continued escalation in the region and the expansion of the conflict that threatens the security and stability of the countries and peoples of the region.”

Pakistan

The Israeli military strikes “against the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Iran “are a grave violation of the UN Charter and the international law”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The attacks “undermine path to regional peace and stability and also constitute a dangerous escalation in an already volatile region,” the ministry statement said, adding that “Israel bears full responsibility for the current cycle of escalation and expansion of the conflict in the region”.

It also called on the United Nations Security Council “to play its role for the maintenance of international peace and security, and to take immediate steps to bring an end to Israeli recklessness in the region and its criminal behaviour”.

Iraq

“The occupying Zionist entity continues its aggressive policies and widening the conflict in the region through blatant attacks that it carries out with impunity”, including against Iranian targets, government spokesman Basim Alawadi said in a statement denouncing “the international community’s silence” on Israeli actions.

A statement from the prime minister’s office said Iraq “reiterates its firm stance calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, and for comprehensive regional and international efforts to support stability in the region”.

Jordan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said the international community must “shoulder its responsibilities and take immediate measures to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon as a first step towards reducing the escalation, stopping Israel’s violations of international law and [United Nations] resolutions, and protecting the security and stability of the region from the disastrous consequences of continued Israeli attacks”.

Kuwait

Condemning the Israeli attacks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they reflected “the policy of chaos pursued by the Israeli occupation forces through violating the sovereignty of states” and “endangering the security of the region”.

Hamas

The Palestinian group said it condemned “the Zionist aggression” against Iran.

“We consider it a flagrant violation of Iranian sovereignty and an escalation targeting the security of the region and the safety of its peoples, which holds the occupation fully responsible for the repercussions of this aggression supported by the United States of America.”

United Arab Emirates

The Gulf nation condemned the military targeting of Iran and expressed “deep concern over the continued escalation and its impact on regional security and stability”.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised the “importance of exercising the highest levels of restraint and wisdom to avoid risks and the expansion of conflict”.

Oman

The attack was a “blatant violation” of Iran’s sovereignty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, adding that the Israeli air strikes were “an escalation that fuels the cycle of violence and undermines efforts aimed at de-escalation and reducing tension”.

It also called on the “international community once again to take effective action to stop the aggression and put an end to violations on the territories of neighbouring countries”.

Malaysia

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the Israeli strikes a “clear violation of international law” that “seriously undermine regional security”.

It also said that “Malaysia calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an end to the cycle of violence”.

Israel’s continued attacks on countries in the Middle East continue to bring the region closer to the brink of a wider war, the ministry statement added.

Israel hits Iranian military rargets, Tehran says damage ‘limited’

Diksha — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 06:30:57 +0000

Israel struck military sites in Iran early on Saturday, saying it was retaliating against Tehran’s strikes on Israel this month, the latest attack in the escalating conflict between the heavily armed rivals.

Hours later the Israeli military said its strikes had been completed and its objectives achieved, but a semi-official Iranian news agency vowed a “proportional reaction” to Israeli moves against Tehran.

Iranian media reported multiple explosions over several hours in the capital and at nearby military bases, starting shortly after 2am (2230 GMT on Friday).

Before dawn, Israel’s public broadcaster said three waves of strikes had been completed and that the operation was over.

Iran said its air defence system successfully countered Israel’s attacks on military targets in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam with “limited damage” to some locations.

The Middle East has been on edge awaiting Israel’s retaliation for a ballistic-missile barrage carried out by Iran on Oct 1, in which around 200 missiles were fired at Israel and one person was killed in the West Bank.

Tensions between arch rivals Israel and Iran have escalated since Hamas, the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group based in Gaza, attacked Israel on Oct 7, 2023. Hamas has been supported by Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants, also backed by Iran.

Fears that Iran and the US would be drawn into a regional war have risen with Israel’s intensifying assault on Hezbollah since last month, including airstrikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut and a ground operation, as well as its year-old war in Gaza.

“In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel – right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran,” Israel’s military said in a statement announcing the attack.

‘Obligated to respond’

The military said later it had completed its “targeted” attacks in Iran, striking truck missile manufacturing facilities and surface-to-aerial equipment, adding its planes had safely returned home.

“If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond,” the military said.

Targets did not include energy infrastructure or Iran’s nuclear facilities, a U.S. official said.

US President Joe Biden had warned that Washington, Israel’s main backer and supplier of arms, would not support a strike on Tehran’s nuclear sites and has said Israel should consider alternatives to attacking Iran’s oil fields.

Iranian authorities have repeatedly warned Israel against any attack.

“Iran reserves the right to respond to any aggression, and there is no doubt that Israel will face a proportional reaction for any action it takes,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Saturday, citing sources.

A senior Biden official said Israel’s “targeted and proportional strikes” should be the end of direct exchange of fire between the two countries, but the US was fully prepared to once again defend Israel if Iran should choose to respond.

The US has multiple direct and indirect channels of communication with Iran where it has made its position clear, the official said on condition of anonymity.

US informed ahead of strikes

Videos carried by Iranian media showed air defences continuously firing at apparently incoming projectiles in central Tehran, without saying which sites were coming under attack.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency said Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bases that were attacked were not damaged.

A spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said flights on all routes were cancelled until further notice, state news agency IRNA reported. Neighbouring Iraq also suspended all flights until further notice, its state news agency said.

Israel targeted some military sites in Syria’s central and southern parts with airstrikes early on Saturday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported. Israel has not confirmed striking Syria.

Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other security officials had closely followed the operation at the military’s command and control centre in Tel Aviv.

Gallant spoke to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shortly after Israel’s strikes began.

Austin emphasized the enhanced force posture of the United States to defend US personnel, Israel and its partners across the region, the Pentagon said.

Israel notified the United States before its strikes, but Washington was not involved in the operation, a US official told Reuters.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the Middle East for another attempt to broker a peace deal, said on Wednesday Israel’s retaliation should not lead to greater escalation.

Even as it sought to convince Israel to calibrate its strikes, the United States moved to reassure its closest ally in the Middle East that it would aid in its defence should Tehran decide to stage a counter-attack.

This included Biden’s decision to move the US military’s THAAD anti-missile defences to Israel, along with about 100 US soldiers to operate them.

Iran aided Russia against Ukraine. Now it needs to call in the favor

Aseem — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 05:13:47 +0000

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) enters the hall during the meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (not pictured), October 11, 2024, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Iran has been one of Russia’s few staunch allies throughout the war against Ukraine, but Tehran now faces the strain of indirectly fighting its nemesis Israel on two fronts.

Under pressure — but still defiant — Iran could start looking to Russia for help, given its need for greater air defense capabilities and military intelligence to detect a highly-anticipated but yet-to-materialize direct Israeli attack on Iran, analysts told CNBC.

Russia is well-positioned to provide Tehran with such capabilities, but the extent to which it will assist the Islamic Republic remains uncertain.

“I fully expect that the Iranians have high expectations of the Russians to provide them with something,” Bilal Y. Saab, associate fellow in the Middle East and North Africa Programme at think tank Chatham House, told CNBC Thursday, noting that reputation is of the utmost importance in international relations — even among authoritarian countries.

“So if the Russians are going to bail on this, it’s going to have consequences with regards not only to its relationship with the Iranians, but to any other partner, such as the Chinese,” he said.

“They’ve got to maintain some kind of reputation that they are good for it, and so I have medium-to-high expectations that they would actually provide them with what they need. Now, whether they provide them with everything they need, this is what nobody knows.”

Russia is unlikely to offer military intervention against Israel on behalf of the Iranians, Saab said, given it is already “too bogged down in Ukraine.”

“It’s also too risky of a game to go against the United States over the Iranians … so I think that [it’s] more likely they would stay on the sidelines and try to help from as far away as possible,” he said.

CNBC has contacted the Kremlin and Iranian foreign ministry for comment and has yet to receive a response.

both countries deny drone and missile transfers have taken place. Tehran has conceded that it sent drones to Russia before the war began, however.

Russia also denies using drones to attack Ukrainian infrastructure, although there have been numerous instances of Iranian-made drones damaging Ukrainian infrastructure or being intercepted during the war.

In the meantime, Tehran has turned to Russia to help build up its own military capabilities, looking to procure sophisticated Russia air defense systems and a variety of combat aircraft, according to reports, although the details surrounding the delivery of such hardware remain hazy.

“The provision of Iranian drones and, more recently, missiles to Russia for its campaign in Ukraine marked a significant evolution in the Russia-Iran relationship. In part, the war itself served as an accelerant to the already burgeoning Russia-Iran ties, propelling their cooperation to new heights,” Karim Sadjadpour and Nicole Grajewski from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank noted in analysis earlier this month.

In return for Iran’s support, Russia has bolstered Iran’s military capabilities in several areas, they noted: “Iran has made notable progress in acquiring advanced conventional weaponry from Russia, allowing it to achieve some of its defense officials’ long-standing goals. In November 2023, Tehran secured deals for Su-35 fighter jets, Yak-130 training aircraft, and Mi-28 attack helicopters, though only the Yak-130s have been delivered so far.”

Russia has been offering Iran “an unprecedented level of military and technical support that is transforming their relationship into a full-fledged defense partnership,” National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said in late 2022. “This partnership poses a threat, not just to Ukraine, but to Iran’s neighbors in the region,” he said at the time.

Fast forward to October 2024 and Russia’s appetite to bolster Tehran’s military capabilities might be waning as its war against Ukraine drags on, while Iran’s ability to supply Russia with weaponry could now be limited.

Tehran is indirectly fighting its nemesis Israel on two fronts with its regional proxies, the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, coming under heavy and sustained Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon, respectively, and looking severely weakened after the deaths of the militant groups’ leaders.

Iranian protesters shout anti-Israeli slogans while burning an Israeli flag in a celebration for Iran’s missile attack against Israel, in Tehran, Iran, on October 1, 2024.

Morteza Nikoubazl | Nurphoto | Getty Images

The factions, along with Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, make up what Tehran refers to as the “Axis of Resistance,” which Iran backs in order to oppose Israeli and U.S. influence in the region. That shared antipathy toward the U.S. and desire to create a “new world order” are what largely binds Iran and Russia.

This week could bring more clarity on their deepening economic and strategic cooperation, when Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian meet on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia.

Both countries have said they are close to signing a “strategic partnership agreement” — negotiations over which began in early 2022 — and this could be finalized at forum. It remains to be seen what the partnership will entail.

said in analysis Monday.

“Nevertheless, Moscow prefers to adapt to the evolving situation rather than to get directly involved. Russia cannot — and will not — save Iran in its confrontation with Israel and the United States,” he noted.

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) at Al Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 06, 2023.

Royal Court of Saudi Arabia | Anadolu | Getty Images

Moscow’s war in Ukraine means it has “no time” for another war, according to Smagin, who added that Russia would only be motivated to involve itself indirectly in the conflict with Israel if the end result were to weaken the U.S.

“Russia could seek to support Iran by supplying weapons to Iranian proxy forces, including Hezbollah and the Houthis,” Smagin said. “However, for the Kremlin, that would be more logical if such deliveries were going to harm the United States, rather than Israel.”

Gulf states urges US to stop Israel from bombing Iran's oil sites

Diksha — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 06:41:44 +0000

Gulf states are lobbying Washington to stop Israel from attacking Iran’s oil sites because they are concerned their own oil facilities could come under fire from Tehran’s proxies if the conflict escalates, three Gulf sources told Reuters.

As part of their attempts to avoid being caught in the crossfire, Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, are also refusing to let Israel fly over their airspace for any attack on Iran and have conveyed this to Washington, the three sources close to government circles said.

Israel has promised Iran will pay for its missile attack last week while Tehran has said any retaliation would be met with vast destruction, raising fears of a wider war in the region that could suck in the United States.

During meetings this week, Iran warned Saudi Arabia it could not guarantee the safety of the Gulf kingdom’s oil facilities if Israel were given any assistance in carrying out an attack, a senior Iranian official and an Iranian diplomat told Reuters.

Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the Saudi royal court, said: “The Iranians have stated: ‘If the Gulf states open up their airspace to Israel, that would be an act of war’.”

The diplomat said Tehran had sent a clear message to Riyadh that its allies in countries such as Iraq or Yemen might respond if there was any regional support for Israel against Iran.

A potential Israeli strike was the focus of talks on Wednesday between Saudi de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who was on a Gulf tour to rally support, Gulf and Iranian sources said.

Jonathan Panikoff, former deputy US national intelligence officer on the Middle East and now at the Atlantic Council think-tank in Washington said: “Gulf states’ anxiety is likely to be a key talking point with Israeli counterparts in trying to convince Israel to undertake a carefully calibrated response.”

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which is de-facto led by Saudi Arabia, has enough spare oil capacity to make up for any loss of Iranian supply if an Israeli retaliation knocked out some of the country’s facilities.

But much of that spare capacity is in the Gulf region so if oil facilities in Saudi Arabia or the UAE, for example, were targeted too, the world could face an oil supply problem.

“The Gulf states aren’t letting Israel use their airspace. They won’t allow Israeli missiles to pass through, and there’s also a hope that they won’t strike the oil facilities,” the Gulf source said.

The three Gulf sources emphasized that Israel could route strikes through Jordan or Iraq, but using Saudi, UAE, or Qatari airspace was off the table and strategically unnecessary.

Analysts also pointed out that Israel has other options, including mid-air refueling capabilities that would enable its jets to fly down the Red Sea into the Indian Ocean, proceed to the Gulf and then fly back.