Three close allies of the United States moved to signal collective defense planning Sunday as U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran were met with retaliatory missile and drone strikes and explosions continued to rock the Iranian capital for a second day. Britain, France and Germany said in a joint statement that they are “ready to join forces to defend their interests in the Middle East” and to help stop what they described as Iran’s retaliatory capability from firing at targets. The ministers and leaders said the approach would be aimed at “enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source.”
The joint statement said Britain, France and Germany have agreed to “work together with the US and allies in the region on this matter,” while other governments and international institutions urged restraint after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state-linked accounts and officials described strikes that targeted Israel and U.S. military bases in Gulf states as the conflict continued. Israel’s military said it was targeting the “heart” of Tehran as Iran pressed on with its response.
Across Europe, the allies’ positions were also shaped by direct warning of proximity and damage to their forces. Britain’s Defense Minister John Healey said Iranian missile and drone strikes came within a few hundred yards of about 300 British military personnel in Bahrain. France’s Defense Minister said a drone strike damaged a hangar at a French naval base at the port of Abu Dhabi. Britain’s leadership also said the country would not join in strikes on Iran but had agreed to let Washington use British bases for attacks on Iran’s missiles and their launch sites.
At the European Union level, top diplomats met in emergency session to review next steps. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, “The death of Ali Khamenei is a defining moment in Iran’s history. What comes next is uncertain,” adding that “there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape.” The statement from European leaders landed alongside a broader pattern of cautious messaging from countries that have already faced strained relations with the Trump administration.
In the Middle East, some governments refrained from commenting directly on the U.S.-Israeli strikes but condemned Iran’s retaliatory actions. The 22-nation Arab League called the Iranian attacks “a blatant violation of the sovereignty of countries that advocate for peace and strive for stability,” in language that drew on its established stance against steps it says risk destabilizing the region. An adviser to the United Arab Emirates’ president, Anwar Gargash, urged Iran to “return to your senses” and “deal with your neighbors with reason and responsibility before the circle of isolation and escalation widens,” and the UAE closed its embassy in Iran and said it withdrew its diplomatic mission after Iranian strikes hit the country.
Diplomatic responses also varied in tone and legal framing. The UAE foreign minister met virtually with counterparts from five other Gulf states, and the group said their countries retain “the legal right to respond and the right to self-defense” under international law. In other places, Russia and China faced down the attacks’ justifications with sharp language, with Russian President Vladimir Putin calling Khamenei’s killing “a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.” China’s foreign minister Wang Yi, speaking in a phone call with Sergey Lavrov that China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency described, said the “blatant killing of the leader of a sovereign state” and the “incitement of regime change” were unacceptable and “violate international law and the basic norms governing international relations,” adding that attacking without U.N. Security Council authorization undermines the peace framework set after World War II.
The upheaval also played out beyond official capitals. Pope Leo XIV said he was “profoundly concerned” about the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and urged both sides to “stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss.” On streets around the world, protesters gathered in outrage or celebration after news of Khamenei’s death, with demonstrations recorded in places including New York, Berlin, Paris and Vienna as well as in countries across the region where Iran’s diaspora and supporters rallied.
Elsewhere, reports described clashes and protests tied to the regional fallout. At least 22 people were killed in clashes with police in northern Pakistan and in Karachi after hundreds of protesters stormed the U.S. Consulate, authorities said. In Iraq, hundreds marched across Sadr City waving flags associated with Iran-backed Iraqi militias, and protests were also described in Istanbul and among Shiite Muslims in India.