Reactions to the US attack
Comments from home and abroad…
B-2 bomber
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history … History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world’s most dangerous regime the world’s most dangerous weapons.”
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog
“In the pages of human history, this is a moment when the principles of liberty, responsibility, and security have triumphed. A decisive moment between the axis of terror and evil and the axis of hope.
Thank you, @POTUS @realDonaldTrump. Thank you, United States of America.
This brave step serves the security and safety of the entire free world. I hope it will lead to a better future for the Middle East — and help advance the urgent release of our hostages held in captivity in Gaza.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
“I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security. There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world. I call on member states to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law. At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos. There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace.”
Australian Government spokesperson
“We have been clear that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program has been a threat to international peace and security. We note the US president’s statement that now is the time for peace. The security situation in the region is highly volatile. We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.”
The LNP
“The world can never accept a nuclear-armed Iranian regime and today the United States military has taken proactive action to ensure that we never need to,” Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and acting opposition spokesman for foreign affairs Andrew Hastie wrote in a joint statement.
“While Australians will never seek conflict in the world, we can never forget that the Iranian regime is a militantly theocratic autocracy.
“It is the Iranian people who are the victims of this brutal regime and we stand in solidarity with them.”
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters
“We acknowledge developments in the last 24 hours, including President Trump’s announcement of US strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Ongoing military action in the Middle East is extremely worrying, and it is critical further escalation is avoided. New Zealand strongly supports efforts towards diplomacy. We urge all parties to return to talks. Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action.”
The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council
Dr Colin Rubenstein said that “Israel showed that it was possible to defang Iran and that the strikes will make the world a better and safer place and underlining the ongoing US commitment to act as a key guarantor of international peace and security.”
He added: “The Fordow underground site was the lynchpin of the Iranian nuclear program, and the American intervention provides much greater confidence that Iran’s illegal pursuit of nuclear weapons capabilities will not be reconstituted any time soon. US President Trump deserves congratulations for making a difficult but essential and courageous decision to intervene in the interests of not only the US, but of global security and stability – including Australia’s national security interests.”
He hopes that the Iran and Israel war can be brought to a rapid close.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry
“For decades the Iranian regime has pressed on with its uranium enrichment program far beyond anything it needs for peaceful purposes, and has gambled that the rest of world would lack the resolve to stop it from developing a nuclear weapons capability”, said ECAJ President Daniel Aghion. “Its gamble, and its illegal drive towards highly enriched uranium, now lie in ruins.
It should never be forgotten that the US action was made much less vulnerable to retaliation by the Iranian regime by the fact that the IDF’s operations over the last 20 months have effectively dismantled Iran’s regional proxies and greatly weakened Iran itself.”
Hamas planned and initiated its atrocities against Israel on October 7 2023 intending to bring about radical change to the strategic equation in the Middle East. We can now see that the equation has indeed changed, but in the exact opposite way to that which Hamas intended”.
The Zionist Federation of Australia
President Jeremy Leibler said: “The United States’ precision strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities are a necessary and courageous response to an urgent threat. The Iranian regime has for years pursued nuclear weapons while sponsoring terrorism that has killed thousands of Israelis, Americans, and others across the world.
Iran’s actions are not just a danger to Israel, they are a clear and present threat to the West and to the international rules-based order. We commend President Trump and the United States for their moral clarity and leadership in taking decisive action to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
The Zionist Federation of Australia stands in full solidarity with Israel and the United States, and thanks all those working to confront the Iranian regime’s aggression and protect global security. We hope these actions help pave the way for a more stable and peaceful Middle East.”
