Reuters
With the danger of open warfare erupting between Israel and Iran, and tension high over the war in Gaza, U.S. President Joe Biden has told Netanyahu the United States will not participate in any Israeli counter-offensive against Iran, U.S. officials said.
Britain, France, Germany and the European Union's foreign policy chief all joined Washington and United Nations Secretary General António Guterres in calling for restraint.
"We're on the edge of the cliff and we have to move away from it," Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told Spanish radio station Onda Cero. "We have to step on the brakes and reverse gear."
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Iran not to carry out more attacks and said Israel must also contribute to de-escalation.
Paris (AFP) – President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France would help do everything to avoid an escalation in the Middle East after an unprecedented Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel.
"We will do everything to avoid a conflagration -- that is to say an escalation," Macron told the BFMTV news channel.
That would involve "trying to convince Israel not to respond by escalating," he said.
"Finland strongly condemns Iran’s strike and emphasises the critical importance of de-escalation in the current tense situation in the Middle East," the Office of the President stated on Monday.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Monday that before Iran's attack on Israel over the weekend, members of Finland's foreign policy leadership had tried to calm growing tensions.
On Saturday night Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel. The next morning, Stubb and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) both condemned the attack, calling on "all parties to show restraint".