\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/large\/2026\/02\/281522425001840.webp\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
Countries in the Middle East and around the world were watching with bated breath after the United States and Israel carried out long-feared strikes on Iran on Saturday.<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump vowed that the strikes would cripple Iran\u2019s military and urged Iranians to rise up against the Islamic republic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally \u2014 again \u2014 obliterated. We\u2019re going to annihilate their navy,\u201d Trump said in the address from his Florida home posted to his Truth Social platform.<\/p>\n Calling on Iranians to stand up to their government, Trump added: \u201cThe hour of your freedom is at hand.\u201d But he also warned that \u201cthe lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties\u201d.<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to \u201cremove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran\u201d, and urged Iranians to overthrow the Islamic republic\u2019s clerical leadership.<\/p>\n \u201cOur joint action will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands,\u201d Netanyahu added. \u201cThe time has come for all the people of Iran\u2026 to cast off the yoke of tyranny and bring about a free and peace-seeking Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n Russia called on its citizens to leave Iran, with former president Dmitry Medvedev saying that talks with the United States had just been a \u201ccover\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe peacekeeper is at it again,\u201d Medvedev, now the chair of Russia\u2019s security council, said in a post on X.<\/p>\n \u201cThe talks with Iran were just a cover. Everyone knew that. So who has more patience to wait for the enemy\u2019s sorry end now?\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Qatar, which hosts a US military base, initially said it was secure after the US and Israeli attacks on neighbouring Iran but was monitoring developments closely.<\/p>\n \u201cThe situation inside the State of Qatar is stable and secure,\u201d an interior ministry statement said.<\/p>\n An official later told AFP<\/em> that Qatari defence systems had intercepted an Iranian missile, and the defence ministry said it had repelled \u201ca number of attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n Shah\u2019s son: \u2018final victory\u2019 near – Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran\u2019s last shah and a leading critic of Tehran, said that \u201cwe are very close to final victory\u201d following the strikes.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to be by your side as soon as possible so that together we can take back and rebuild Iran,\u201d said Pahlavi, who lives in exile in the Washington area and had repeatedly urged Trump to intervene.<\/p>\n Jordan\u2019s military said its air force was at work on Saturday to protect the kingdom and its people while the strikes were ongoing.<\/p>\n \u201cThese sorties are part of aerial reconnaissance and inspection operations aimed at maintaining the safety of Jordanian airspace and ensuring that it is free from any attempts at infiltration or illegal activities,\u201d a military source said, after sirens were reported in Amman.<\/p>\n France, which has several military bases in the Middle East, notably in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, said that Paris\u2019s priority was the safety of its citizens.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously our priority in these sort of cases is the protection of our nationals, the protection of our forces in the region and the monitoring of the situation in real time, which we are doing,\u201d Alice Rufo, minister-delegate to the Armed Forces and Veterans\u2019 Affairs ministry, told France 2<\/em> television.<\/p>\n The African Union called \u201cfor restraint, urgent de-escalation and sustained dialogue\u201d after the strikes, warning that conflict could risk harming people on the continent.<\/p>\n \u201cFurther escalation risks worsening global instability, with serious implications for energy markets, food security, and economic resilience \u2014 particularly in Africa, where conflict and economic pressures remain acute,\u201d said the pan-African body\u2019s head, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.<\/p>\n Polish staff at its embassy in Tehran were \u201csafe\u201d but the country is \u201cprepared for various scenarios,\u201d Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X.<\/p>\n In a post on X, Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said: \u201cThe Netherlands calls on all parties to exercise restraint and prevent further escalation.<\/p>\nNetanyahu \u2018cast off the yoke\u2019<\/h2>\n
Russia: Talks a \u2018cover\u2019<\/h2>\n
Qatar: \u2018secure\u2019<\/h2>\n
Jordan: protect skies<\/h2>\n
France: safety a priority<\/h2>\n
African Union: stability at risk<\/h2>\n
Poland \u2018prepared\u2019<\/h2>\n
Netherlands: \u2018restraint\u2019<\/h2>\n