World leaders urge return to talks after US and Israeli strikes kill Iranian leader Ali Khamenei

BRUSSELS (AP) — World leaders urged peace and a return to talks as the military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran raised concerns about whether the violence could spread across the region and tensions rose with Iran vowing devastating blows after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A massive explosion rocked the Iranian capital on Sunday morning as the Israeli military said it was targeting the “heart” of the city after stating it cleared the path to Tehran the day before. Meanwhile, Iran pressed on with its retaliation campaign: Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain said they intercepted a barrage of missiles.

Oman, which served as an interlocutor between Tehran and Washington in recent nuclear talks, said an oil tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz came under attack and its port at Duqm, used by the U.S. Navy as a logistical hub and capable of hosting aircraft carriers, was targeted in a drone attack.

The demise of Khamenei, who had no designated successor, will likely throw Iran’s future into uncertainty and exacerbate already growing concerns of a broader conflict.

Fears about the conflict spreading were amplified on Sunday, when British Defense Minister John Healey said Iranian missile and drone strikes came within a few hundred yards (meters) of a group of 300 British military personnel in Bahrain, and that two missiles were even fired in the direction of Cyprus, where the U.K. has bases.

“We don’t believe they were targeted at Cyprus, but nevertheless, it’s an example of how there is a very real and rising threat from a regime that is lashing out widely across the region, and that requires us to act,” Healey told Sky News.

He said British planes will intercept any Iranian drones and missiles they see.

The United States and Israel launched a major attack against Iran on Saturday, and U.S. President Donald Trump called on the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” by rising against the Islamic theocracy that has ruled the nation since 1979.

World leaders urge resumption of talks

Top diplomats from the 27 European Union nations are holding an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss the situation around Iran and the next steps for the bloc.

“The Iranian regime’s indiscriminate attacks against its neighbours carry the risk of dragging the region into a broader war and we condemn this,” said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas as she announced the bloc’s meeting on Sunday. “It is essential that the war does not spread any further. The Iranian regime has choices to make.”

Pope Leo XIV said Sunday 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.”

During a U.N. Security Council on Saturday, the U.N. chief and many countries urged a halt to attacks and a return to negotiations to prevent the conflict from expanding further into the region and beyond.

Secretary-General António Guterres told the council that everything must be done to prevent an escalation. “The alternative,” he warned, “is a potential wider conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability.”

Perhaps cautious about upsetting already strained relations with Trump, many nations, including several in the Middle East, refrained from commenting directly or pointedly on the joint strikes but condemned Tehran’s retaliation.

“Return to your senses … and deal with your neighbors with reason and responsibility before the circle of isolation and escalation widens,” Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the United Arab Emirates’ president, told the Iranian theocracy on Sunday.

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.” That coalition of nations has historically condemned both Israel and Iran for actions it says risk destabilizing the region.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has privately urged Iran not to attack the kingdom, a Saudi diplomat said. Saudi Arabia reported what appeared to be attacks in Riyadh and the eastern region on Saturday, although no casualties were reported.

Condolence messages

On Sunday, Russian leader Vladimir Putin blasted Khamenei’s killing, which he called “a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.”

“The blatant killing of the leader of a sovereign state and the incitement of regime change are unacceptable,” China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.

“These actions violate international law and the basic norms governing international relations.”

He said attacking a sovereign state without U.N. Security Council authorization undermines the foundation for peace established after World War II.

Protests and celebrations

At least nine people were killed in clashes with police Sunday after hundreds of protesters stormed the U.S. Consulate in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, authorities said.

In Indian-controlled Kashmir, tens of thousands of people on Sunday staged massive demonstrations to denounce Khamenei’s killing by the U.S. and Israel.

Demonstrations were also held from New York to Berlin and beyond by members of the Iranian diaspora and their supporters, celebrating the end of Khamenei’s rule.

Iranians in Berlin were seen cheering and dancing to loud music on Saturday afternoon in celebration. Some of the demonstrators waved flags of the Iranian monarchy, with German, Israeli, and U.S. flags also on display. Hopeful Iranians also took to the streets in multiple U.S. cities.

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Ciobanu reported from Warsaw and Metz from Ramallah, West Bank. Reporters around the world contributed to this report.