World reacts to Iran protests, US military threats against Tehran

The sustained nationwide protests that have gripped Iran since late December have divided global opinion, with some governments raising concern about what they fear are foreign, instigated riots, while others have accused Iran’s leaders of responding violently to those protesting.

Several senior Iranian figures have acknowledged the grievances of the demonstrators but have attempted to distinguish between people motivated by economic duress and rising costs, and what they have described as rioters seeking to “sow discord”, as Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated.

Araghchi has said Iran is not seeking war but told media that Tehran was “prepared for all options” after US President Donald Trump threatened military action over the response to the protests.

The semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday that 109 security personnel had been killed in the protests. Authorities have not confirmed the number of demonstrators who have been killed, but opposition activists based outside the country said the death toll is higher and includes hundreds of protesters. media cannot independently verify either figure.

Here’s a look at how countries and key global organisations are reacting.

Iran

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has pledged to address mounting economic grievances, saying on Sunday his government is “ready to listen to its people” while accusing the United States and Israel of trying to “sow chaos and disorder” by directing elements of the unrest.

He acknowledged that the people “have concerns”, stating that “we should sit with them, and if it is our duty, we should resolve their concerns”.

However, he warned, “The higher duty is not to allow a group of rioters to come and destroy the entire society.”

United States

President Donald Trump has warned Iran’s leaders against using lethal force against demonstrators and has repeatedly said the US is considering military action.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination,” he told reporters on board Air Force One late on Sunday.

Last week, in a post on Truth Social, Trump’s social media site, he said: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”

Qatar

The Gulf nation is trying to mediate the rising tensions and threats of war between the US and Iran.

“There are expectations that the current tension will lead to an escalation in the region, and we are trying to de-escalate the situation,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said at a news conference in Doha.

“We know that any escalation … would have catastrophic results in the region and beyond and, therefore, we want to avoid that as much as possible.”

Al-Ansari added diplomacy is the most effective way to resolve regional crises, and “we are working on this with our neighbours and partners.”

“We are a party to the contacts aimed at calming the situation in the region and resolving the disputes between Washington and Tehran,” he said.

Israel

Iran’s most hostile regional foe, Israel, has strongly backed the demonstrators, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commending the “tremendous heroism of the citizens of Iran” during a cabinet meeting.

The Israeli army has separately said the protests are internal but that the army is “equipped to respond with power if need be”.

United Kingdom

A minister also refused to rule out the possibility of backing military action, with Peter Kyle telling broadcaster Sky News, “There’s lots of ifs”.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Tuesday that there were plans for “full and further sanctions” on Iran likely to come from London.

The Conservative opposition leader, Kemi Badenoch, told the BBC: “Given the threat that we’re seeing to the people, I think that would be right.”

European Union

EU foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, said the 27-member bloc was “discussing putting additional sanctions”, after it signalled its readiness to impose further measures on Monday.

Kallas told reporters that the EU already has sweeping sanctions in place on Iran … and we are discussing putting additional sanctions.”

The UK, along with Germany and France, issued a joint statement last week saying they “strongly condemned” the killing of protesters.

Germany

Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, predicted the last days of Iran’s Islamic republic, telling reporters while on a trip in India that when “a regime can only hold on to power through violence, then it is effectively finished”.

Germany, which has close commercial and military ties with Israel, and has staunchly supported its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, previously described what it called Iran’s violent response as a sign of “weakness” and not strength.

Spain

The Spanish government summoned Iran’s ambassador in Madrid to formally protest against a crackdown on nationwide demonstrations.

Speaking on Tuesday, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the government had conveyed its “condemnation” of the response to the protests, which have been met with mass arrests and the use of lethal force.

“The right of Iranian men and women to peaceful protest, their freedom of expression, must be respected,” Albares said in an interview with Catalunya Radio. He added that “arbitrary arrests must cease”.

The Spanish foreign minister also urged Iran to re-engage diplomatically, calling on Tehran to “return to the dialogue tables and to the negotiating tables”.

Japan

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the Japanese government “strongly calls for the immediate cessation of violence and strongly hopes for an early settlement of the situation”.

China

China’s government has taken a line closer to Iran’s, expressing its opposition to external “interference in other countries’ internal affairs”, with a Foreign Ministry spokesperson adding that “the sovereignty and security of all nations should be fully protected by international law.”

Russia

Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council and former defence minister, speaking about the protests following a call with Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, “condemned” what he said was “the latest attempt by foreign forces to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs”.

Turkiye

Turkiye’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, who was previously the country’s intelligence chief, said the protests were “manipulated by Iran’s rivals from abroad”, naming Israel’s intelligence service as having a hand.

“Mossad doesn’t hide it; they are calling on the Iranian people to revolt against the regime through their own internet and Twitter accounts,” he said.

United Nations

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he is “shocked” by reports of violence against protesters in Iran and called on the government to show restraint.

“All Iranians must be able to express their grievances peacefully and without fear,” he added.

UN High Commissioner for Human ​Rights Volker Turk ‌said in a statement read out by spokesperson ‌Jeremy Laurence when asked about the scale of killings: “The number that we’re hearing is ‍hundreds.”  media hasn’t been able to independently verify that figure.