European Union foreign ministers emerged from two hours of emergency talks on Sunday night to call for a de-escalation of the violence that left Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dead and the Gulf region plummeting into chaos amid retaliatory attacks, cancelled flights stranding hundreds of thousands of travellers and potential delays along vital oil shipping lines.
"The Middle East stands to lose greatly from any drawn-out war," said a joint statement issued after their video link rendez-vous.
"Iran’s attacks and violation of sovereignty of a number of countries in the region are inexcusable. Iran must refrain from indiscriminate military strikes. We express our solidarity with partners in the region that have been attacked or affected."
Kaja Kallas, the foreign policy chief for the 27-nation bloc, convened the meeting on Saturday night after a day of strikes from Israeli and American air force planes that pounded Iranian targets killing Khamenei and two top military generals.
Before the meeting, the Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu and the American president Donald Trump said their armed forces would continue with the attacks on Iranian targets.
"We call for maximum restraint, protection of civilians and full respect of international law, including the principles of the United Nations Charter, and international humanitarian law," the joint statement added.
"The events unfolding in Iran must not lead to an escalation that could threaten the Middle East, Europe and beyond, with unpredictable consequences, also in the economic sphere."
On Sunday, French president Emmanuel Macron held a second defence and security council session with his most senior politicians and advisors.
His first took place on Saturday night just hours before Netanyahu and Trump said Khamenei had been killed during Saturday's wave of bombardments on the Iranian capital Tehran.
Iranian state media announced the 86-year-old's death on Sunday morning.
"No one can believe that the issues of Iran's nuclear programme, ballistic missile activity and regional destabilisation will be resolved simply by strikes and, of course, the legitimate rights of the Iranian people to make their voices heard," said Macron on Sunday.
Ali Khamenei's voyage: from boy cleric to Iran's man with the final word
On Sunday in a televised address, Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, called on Iranians to avenge Khamenei's death.
"You have crossed our red line and must pay the price," he said. "We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg."
Trump, though, warned on social media that any retaliation would only lead to further escalation.
How America lit the fuse on Iran's nuclear programme
"IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!" he posted.
In a sign of how the attack could foment regional unrest, nine people died during clashes with police and paramilitary forces after several hundred protesters stormed the US Consulate in Pakistan's port city of Karachi, authorities said.
Iran launches missiles and drones
As Iranian targets came under a second day of bombing, its armed forces fired missiles and drones on Israel and nearby Arab Gulf countries hosting US forces.
French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrine confirmed that a French military base in the United Arab Emirates was hit in an Iranian drone attack targeting the port of Abu Dhabi.
"The damage is limited and only material," Vautrine said. "No injuries have been reported."
Continued conflict could rattle global markets, say analysts particularly if Iran were to make the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic.
Around 20 percent of the world's traded oil passes through the waterway. The EU ministers said disruption along the channel must be avoided.
On Sunday, the shutdown of airports in Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi which were hit as part of the Iranian retaliation, created travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of passengers who were unable to pass through the hubs for flights between Europe, Africa and Asia.
Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, estimated that at least 90,000 people alone change flights daily in the airports in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi on three airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways.
"The EU and its member states are taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of EU citizens in the region," said the joint statement which also urged Iran's new leaders to end the country's nuclear programme and curb its ballistic missile programme.
"The EU will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to bring about a lasting solution to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon." they added.
(With newswires)
