Calls for peace and flashes of anger after US and Israeli attacks kill Iran's Khamenei

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PARIS (AP) — Three close allies of the United States said Sunday they are ready to join forces to defend their interests in the Middle East and stop Iran's retaliatory missile and drone strikes following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as others around the world raised concerns that the conflict sparked by coordinated U.S.-Israel attacks could spread into a wider war.

Britain, France and Germany said they were prepared to work with the United States.

“We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source,” their statement said. “We have agreed to work together with the US and allies in the region on this matter.”

Massive explosions rocked the Iranian capital for a second day as Israel's military said it was targeting the “heart” of Tehran. Iran pressed on, targeting Israel and U.S. military bases in Gulf states.

Iranian officials hurried to plan a future after the death of Khamenei, who had no designated successor, as some Iranians who had long suffered from political repression celebrated.

On streets around the world, there were protests in outrage or bursts of celebration.

Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church, said 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.”

The statement by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said they are “appalled” by Iran’s “reckless” strikes on their allies, which threaten their service members and citizens in the region.

A drone strike damaged a hangar at a French naval base at the port of Abu Dhabi, France's defense minister said. 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.

Healey also said two missiles were fired in the direction of Cyprus, where the U.K. has bases, though a Cyprus government spokesman said on social media those reports were not valid.

Starmer said the U.K. will not join in strikes on Iran but has newly agreed to let Washington use British bases for attacks on Iran’s missiles and their launch sites.

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

“The death of Ali Khamenei is a defining moment in Iran’s history. What comes next is uncertain,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. “But there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape.”

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

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.

“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. The UAE closed its embassy in Iran and announced the withdrawal of its diplomatic mission after Iranian strikes hit the country.

The UAE foreign minister met with counterparts from five other Gulf states Sunday for an emergency virtual meeting. The top diplomats said their countries retain “the legal right to respond and the right to self-defense” under international law.

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.”

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

At least 22 people were killed in clashes with police in northern Pakistan and in the southern port city of Karachi after hundreds of protesters stormed the U.S. Consulate there, authorities said.

In Iraq, hundreds wore black and waved flags belonging to Iran-backed Iraqi militias and red flags that symbolize vengeance in the Shiite Muslim faith as they marched across Sadr City to decry the killing of Khamenei.

Anger flashed at protests in Istanbul and among Shiite Muslims in India.

Demonstrations were also held in cities including New York, Berlin, Paris and Vienna by members of the Iranian diaspora and their supporters, celebrating the end of Khamenei’s rule. Some demonstrators waved flags of the Iranian monarchy, with Israeli and U.S. flags also on display.

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Ciobanu reported from Warsaw. Lorne Cook in Brussels and AP reporters around the world contributed to this report.