Erdogan blasts West's double standards over Iran Israel response

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Western nations of double standards for speaking out against Iran over its weekend attacks on Israel but not condemning Israel for targeting the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital earlier.

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Erdogan also said his government would continue with diplomatic efforts that he says are aimed at de-escalating tensions in the Middle East.

“Israel’s targeting of the Iranian (mission) in Damascus in violation of international laws and the Vienna Convention was the last drop," Turkey's number one said.

“Those who remained silent toward Israel’s aggressive attitude immediately raced to condemn Iran’s response,” he later added.

The Turkish leader accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of escalating tensions to “prolong his political life.”

AP News

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken said the conflict between Israel and Iran is not in Washington or Israel's interests, reported Axios.

The US news site cited attendees of a meeting between Blinken and Jewish leaders in the US.

“Be smart, strategic, and limited as possible” was how one attendee described the Secretary of State's message.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has claimed Israel is the root cause of war and tension in the Middle East.

He made the claim during a phone call with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi, on Tuesday, during which the pair discussed developments in the region.

Amirabdollahian claimed Iran's retaliatory strike against Israel respected international law.

A spokeswoman for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he has still not spoken to his Israeli counterpart.

Thta's despite London's actions to defend Israel amid Iran's attack on Saturday.

Sunak said on Monday he would talk to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu "shortly".

"We are still discussing scheduling, working out with diaries," the spokeswoman said.

"The prime minister has regularly spoken with Netanyahu. It does take time to schedule these with diaries but there was a suggestion earlier this morning that that meant that the UK's view was not being relayed or we hadn't had an opportunity to do that."

"That is obviously incorrect," she added. "Our position is very clear, it's the same as the US and we obviously have contact with the Israeli government through many different channels."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said she will fly to Israel on Tuesday to help de-escalate the tense situation after Iran’s weekend attack and express Germany’s support for Israel.

She called on all sides to prevent the conflict from spreading to other countries in the region and for new sanctions against Iran.

“I will assure our Israeli partners of Germany’s full solidarity,” she said. “And we will discuss how a further escalation with more and more violence can be prevented. Because what matters now is to put a stop to Iran without encouraging further escalation.”

Referring to Iran’s attack, the German minister said that “of course, this further military escalation now also has further consequences.”

Germany is a major supplier of arms for Israel, particularly in its devastating war in Gaza against Hamas.

An Iranian official says his country will respond within “seconds” if Israel seeks to retaliate for its attack over the weekend.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani said late Monday that Israel will face a “resolute and hard response” if it takes further action against Iran.

Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel over the weekend in response to an apparent Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed two Iranian generals.

AP News

According to multiple outlets, Vladimir Putin has warned Iran's president to refrain from sparking a "catastrophic" conflagration in the Middle East.

"Vladimir Putin expressed hope that all sides would show reasonable restraint and prevent a new round of confrontation fraught with catastrophic consequences for the entire region," the Kremlin said in a readout.

"Ebrahim Raisi noted that Iran's actions were forced and limited in nature. At the same time, he stressed Tehran's disinterest in further escalation of tensions."

The Jerusalem Post reports Portugal's government has demanded that Iran release a Portuguese-flagged ship it seized last week.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Tuesday of potential global economic damage from rising tensions in the Middle East and pledged that the US and its allies will deploy their sanction powers against Iran if necessary.

“We’ve targeted over 500 individuals and entities connected to terrorism and terrorist financing by the Iranian regime and its proxies since the start of the Administration," Yellen said.

She cited sanctions against Iran’s drone and missile programmes, militant groups Hamas, the Houthis, Hezbollah, and other Iraqi militia groups.

“Treasury will not hesitate to work with our allies to use our sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime’s malign and destabilising activity,” Yellen said. “I fully expect we will take additional sanctions actions against Iran in the coming days."

AP News

As reported in several news outlets, including Israel's Haaretz, the Iranian government is taking a hard line against domestic journalists and analysts who have publicly criticised the wisdom and logic of Saturday's strikes.

Among those apparently targeted are "the pro-reform newspaper Etemaad and its journalist Abbas Abdi, the financial newspaper the Jahan Sanat, the journalist Yashar Soltani and prominent filmmaker Hossein Dehbashi."

Iran's first direct military confrontation with Israel on Saturday did not come as a surprise to some. 

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself warned Israel would "be slapped", following a suspected Israeli airstrike on an Iranian consular building in Syria earlier this month. 

Still, the fallout from the strike - which saw Tehran launch more than 300 drones, ballistic and cruise missiles at Israel - is no less concerning for Iran's population. 

While state media depict mass celebrations, a significant portion of the public is deeply concerned about the economic fallout, more internal repression and possible retaliatory action by Israel that could drag the country into war. 

Here's a look at the state of public opinion by Euronews Persian and Euronews journalist Joshua Askew.

The Iranian outlet Tasnim, which is affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, carries a message from Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi.

The outlet reports Raisi told the Emir of Qatar that Israel's "brutal genocide" in Gaza is "the most important current issue in the region and even the world".

He also reportedly warned that "The smallest action against Iran's interests will definitely be met with a fierce, widespread and painful response against all its perpetrators."

What has pushed two of the Middle East's biggest military powers into direct confrontation? 

A recent airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria has reignited hostilities between the regional rivals. Israel is suspected of being behind the attack, though has not claimed responsibility. 

Several senior military officers, including two top Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders, were killed in the strike, with Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei threatening to "slap" Israel in retaliation. 

However, the incident underscored deep-seated animosity between the two nations, rooted in decades of geopolitical rivalry and ideological differences.

Here's a Euronews explainer on the background to recent events.

Budget airline EasyJet, one of Europe's largest passenger carriers, has announced it is cancelling all flights to Israel until the end of October.

"As a result of the ongoing and developing situation in Israel, EasyJet has made a decision to suspend its flights to Tel Aviv for the rest of the summer season – until October 27," the company said, according to Israeli outlet Haaretz.

Customers with existing bookings are being offered options including refunds.

Axios reports that the US Treasury is working on new sanctions on Iran.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is expected to announce the measures today. Axios quotes her prewritten remarks as saying the US "will not hesitate to work with our allies to use our sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime's malign and destabilizing activity."

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron says he has been talking with UK allies in the Middle East to help ensure that the region does not erupt into further violence.

The German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has laid out her latest statement on the Iran-Israel conflict in a thread on X. She is currently en route to Israel.

Here is a translation of her words:

Iran is playing with the fate of all people in the Middle East and has led an entire region to the brink of the abyss. The aim now is to stop Iran without further escalation. Iran's plan to sow further violence must not work.

Israel has our full solidarity and can rely on us. We also do not forget the many dozens of Israeli hostages who are still being held captive in Hamas tunnels. They must finally be released.

And we are not forgetting the people in Gaza who fear for their lives day and night and who continue to lack everything. Far too little aid is arriving. We are working hard to ensure that more aid supplies arrive. This is another reason why I am travelling to Israel again today.

The Iranian attack on Israel over the weekend was foiled in part by Israel's Iron Dome defence system, which is capable of intercepting aerial attacks. It has proven highly effective against rockets launched from Gaza for years, but has not been needed for use against Iranian attacks until now.

Here's a Euronews explainer on how the American-backed system works.

While Western leaders have been steadily increasing their public criticism of Israel's devastating campaign in Gaza, they were also quick to condemn Iran's attack in the clearest of terms, many of them using nearly identical terminology to warn against any escalation.

Among them was Josep Borrell Fontelles, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, the Israeli foreign minister says he is embarking on a diplomatic campaign against Iran – tagging a swathe of international counterparts in his message.