By CLAUDIA CIOBANU, SAM McNEIL and SAM METZ
Associated Press
Associated Press
Published: March 1, 2026 astatine 12:02 AM
Updated: March 1, 2026 astatine 3:48 PM
BRUSSELS (AP) — Three adjacent allies of the United States said Sunday they are acceptable to articulation forces to support their interests successful the Middle East and halt Iran's retaliatory rocket and drone strikes pursuing the sidesplitting of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, arsenic others astir the satellite raised concerns that the struggle sparked by coordinated U.S.-Israel attacks could dispersed into a wider war.
Britain, France and Germany said they were prepared to enactment with the United States.
“We volition instrumentality steps to support our interests and those of our allies successful the region, perchance done enabling indispensable and proportionate antiaircraft enactment to destruct Iran’s capableness to occurrence missiles and drones astatine their source,” their connection said. “We person agreed to enactment unneurotic with the US and allies successful the portion connected this matter.”
Massive explosions rocked the Iranian superior for a 2nd time arsenic Israel's subject said it was targeting the “heart” of Tehran. Iran pressed on, targeting Israel and U.S. subject bases successful Gulf states.
Iranian officials hurried to program a aboriginal aft the decease of Khamenei, who had nary designated successor, arsenic immoderate Iranians who had agelong suffered from governmental repression celebrated.
On streets astir the world, determination were protests successful outrage oregon bursts of celebration.
Allies volition enactment with US to support interests
The connection by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said they are “appalled” by Iran’s “reckless” strikes connected their allies, which endanger their work members and citizens successful the region.
A drone onslaught damaged a hangar astatine a French naval basal astatine the larboard of Abu Dhabi, France's defence curate said. British Defense Minister John Healey said Iranian rocket and drone strikes came wrong a fewer 100 yards (meters) of a radical of 300 British subject unit successful Bahrain.
Healey besides said 2 missiles were fired successful the absorption of Cyprus, wherever the U.K. has bases, though a Cyprus authorities spokesperson said connected societal media those reports were not valid.
Top diplomats from the 27 European Union nations were holding an exigency gathering to sermon the concern and adjacent steps for the bloc.
“The decease of Ali Khamenei is simply a defining infinitesimal successful Iran’s history. What comes adjacent is uncertain,” EU overseas argumentation main Kaja Kallas said. “But determination is present an unfastened way to a antithetic Iran, 1 that its radical whitethorn person greater state to shape.”
Pope Leo XIV said helium was “profoundly concerned” astir the U.S. and Israeli strikes connected Iran and urged some sides to “stop the spiral of unit earlier it becomes an irreparable abyss.”
Iran is urged to ‘return to your senses’
Perhaps cautious astir upsetting already strained relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, galore nations, including respective successful the Middle East, refrained from commenting straight oregon pointedly connected the associated strikes but condemned Tehran’s retaliation.
The 22-nation Arab League called the Iranian attacks “a blatant usurpation of the sovereignty of countries that advocator for bid and strive for stability.” That conjugation of nations has historically condemned some Israel and Iran for actions it says hazard destabilizing the region.
“Return to your senses ... and woody with your neighbors with crushed and work earlier the ellipse of isolation and escalation widens,” Anwar Gargash, an advisor to the United Arab Emirates’ president, told the Iranian theocracy.
The UAE closed its embassy successful Iran and announced the withdrawal of its diplomatic ngo aft Iranian strikes deed the country.
Russia and China knock the sidesplitting of Khamen
ei
Russian person Vladimir Putin blasted Khamenei’s killing, which helium called “a cynical usurpation of each norms of quality morality and planetary law."
“The blatant sidesplitting of the person of a sovereign authorities and the incitement of authorities alteration are unacceptable,” China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said successful a telephone telephone with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, according to China’s authoritative Xinhua News Agency. “These actions interruption planetary instrumentality and the basal norms governing planetary relations.”
Wang said attacking a sovereign authorities without U.N. Security Council authorization undermines the instauration for bid established aft World War II.
Some protestation and others celebrate
At slightest 22 radical were killed successful clashes with constabulary successful bluish Pakistan and successful the confederate larboard metropolis of Karachi aft hundreds of protesters stormed the U.S. Consulate there, authorities said.
In Iraq, hundreds wore achromatic and waved flags belonging to Iran-backed Iraqi militias and reddish flags that symbolize vengeance successful the Shiite Muslim religion arsenic they marched crossed Sadr City to decry the sidesplitting of Khamenei.
Anger flashed astatine protests successful Istanbul and among Shiite Muslims successful India.
Demonstrations were besides held successful cities including New York, Berlin, Paris and Vienna by members of the Iranian diaspora and their supporters, celebrating the extremity of Khamenei’s rule. Some demonstrators waved flags of the Iranian monarchy, with Israeli and U.S. flags besides connected display.
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Ciobanu reported from Warsaw and Metz from Ramallah, West Bank. Reporters astir the satellite contributed to this report.
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