MOSCOW (Dispatches) — Russia said Friday the United States assassination of the top Iranian commander, Major General Qassem Soleimani, was an “adventurist step” which will further increase tension in the Middle East.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the move “was an adventurist step that will increase tensions throughout the region.”
“Soleimani served the cause of protecting Iran’s national interests with devotion. We express our sincere condolences to the Iranian people,” said the ministry.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron that the U.S. assassination risks “seriously aggravating” regional tensions.
“This action can seriously aggravate the situation in the region,” the Kremlin quoted President Putin as saying during a telephone conversation with Macron.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern about the “recent escalation.”
“The Secretary-General has consistently advocated for de-escalation in the Persian Gulf. He is deeply concerned with the recent escalation,” Guterres’ spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement.
“This is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint. The world cannot afford another war in the Persian Gulf,” he added.
France also reacted to the assassination of the Iranian commander, saying his killing has made the world “more dangerous.”
France’s Europe minister, Amelie de Montchalin, said. “We have woken up to a more dangerous world.”
“In such operations, when we can see an escalation is underway, but what we want above all is stability and de-escalation,” Montchalin added.
President Emmanuel Macron, she said, would soon consult with “players in the region.”
“All of France’s efforts… in all parts of the world aim to ensure that we are creating the conditions for peace or at least stability,” she added.
Meanwhile, China called on “the relevant sides, especially the United States, to remain calm and exercise restraint to avoid further escalating tensions.”
“China has always opposed the use of force in international relations,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang.
The leader of the main opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, urged Britain to “stand up to the belligerent actions and rhetoric coming from the United States.”
British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab called on all parties to de-escalate, but accused the Iranian Quds Force led by Gen. Soleimani of posing “aggressive threat”.
“Following his death, we urge all parties to de-escalate. Further conflict is in none of our interests,” he said in an emailed statement.
The U.S. airstrike in Baghdad will increase insecurity and instability in the region, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
In a written statement, the ministry said that it was deeply concerned by the rising tensions between the United States and Iran, and that turning Iraq into an area of conflict will harm peace and stability in the region.
The Iranian commander’s assassination affected world markets; the price of oil surged more than four percent and European stocks fell at the start of trading on Friday.
“All hinges now on how Iran responds,” said Jason Tuvey, senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics in London.
“There is obviously a concern that this could call for confrontation in the region,” he added.
source: This article/news was published on Friday, 03 January 2020 on the http://kayhan.ir/en/news/74705