With these words, the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, condemned on Sunday the US decision to attack three nuclear facilities in Iran.

The diplomat also called for a de-escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and warned that if it "gets out of control" it could have "catastrophic" consequences for humanity.

On Saturday, the US bombed Iran's nuclear facilities in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.

With this action, the United States joins Israel, which, since last Friday, June 13, began an offensive against Tehran with the intention - says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - of destroying Iran's nuclear program.

Israel claims that the possibility of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon threatens its existence as a state.

Iran responded to the attacks with missiles that have hit several areas of Israel, including military and civilian targets.

Saturday's attacks come just two days after the US president said he would make a decision whether or not to support Israel with its offensive "within two weeks."

"I am deeply alarmed by the US use of force against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region that is already on the brink—and a direct threat to international peace and security,” Guterres said.

“I call on Member States to de-escalate tensions and comply with their obligations under the United Nations Charter and other norms of international law,” he added.

In a televised statement after the military action, Trump described the attacks as a “spectacular success” that resulted in the “complete and total” destruction of the three nuclear facilities.

For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reacted to the attacks by calling them a “grave violation” of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“This morning’s events are outrageous and will have lasting consequences,” he wrote.

Araghchi added: “Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, its interests, and its people.”

Netanyahu reacted to the attack by congratulating the US president and adding: “President Trump and I often say: ‘Peace through strength.’ First comes strength, then peace.”

A divided world

The US actions have been met with mixed reactions from other members of the international community.

Russia has condemned the “irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb attacks, regardless of the arguments presented to it,” and said the attack “flagrantly violates international law, the UN Charter, and UN Security Council resolutions,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Trump, who came in as a peacemaker president, has started a new war for the US,” wrote Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, on his Telegram channel, adding that “with this kind of success, Trump will not win the Nobel Peace Prize.”

China also strongly condemned the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

According to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement published on X, “the US actions seriously violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and have exacerbated tensions in the Middle East.”

China calls “on the parties to the conflict, Israel in particular, to reach a ceasefire as soon as possible, ensure the safety of civilians, and engage in dialogue and negotiation,” and stands ready to work with the international community “to join forces to uphold justice and work for the restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East.”

Arab countries have Saudi Arabia, which maintains strong security ties with the United States and is one of its closest regional allies, declared that it condemned “the violation of Iran’s sovereignty and underlines the need for restraint,” calling on the international community to “redouble its efforts in these extremely delicate circumstances to reach a political solution.” Oman, which hosted the recent US-Iran talks, strongly condemned the attacks and called for a de-escalation.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry warned that the current "dangerous tensions will have disastrous regional and international repercussions." He said he “expects all parties to act with common sense and restraint at this time.”

Egypt warned of “the dangers of the region sliding into greater chaos and tension,” stressing that “political solutions and diplomatic negotiations, not a military solution, are the only way out of the crisis.”

For his part, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that “the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities raises fears of an escalation of tensions that threatens the security and stability of more than one region and country.”

Reactions have also come from Europe and other parts of the world.

The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said that “Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, as it would be a threat to international security.”

She also called on all parties to “step back, return to the negotiating table, and avoid further escalation.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer commented that the Trump administration has taken steps to “alleviate” the threat of Iran becoming a nuclear power.

“Iran’s nuclear program constitutes a grave threat to international security. Iran will never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon,” he commented on his X account on Sunday morning.

“We urge Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis,” he added.

In Latin America, the leaders of Chile, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Cuba rejected the US military actions.

Bolivian President Luis Arce and his Cuban counterpart Rafael Díaz-Canel agreed that the US decision violates the UN charter and is a violation of international law.

Meanwhile, in the opinion of the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the US attack is “an act of aggression that is illegal, unjustifiable, and extremely dangerous.”

His Chilean counterpart, Gabriel Boric, called for respect for “international humanitarian law.”

And he said that the power of the US does not justify it violating “the rules that we have given ourselves as humanity.”

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