On the 28th local time, as the United States, together with Israel, carried out a surprise airstrike on Iran, several countries, including Iran's neighbor Saudi Arabia, moved in unison to condemn Iran.
According to the Guardian, Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement that day, "Australia stands with the brave people of Iran who are fighting against oppression."
Albanese criticized Iran's regime as a force that has destabilized the region for decades through its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, support for armed proxies, and "brutal acts of violence and intimidation."
Albanese also said the regime "has caused the deaths of thousands of Iranian civilians through its brutal repression of its own people," adding, "A regime that relies on oppression and killing of its own people to maintain power has no legitimacy."
Iran's "neighboring countries" also joined the criticism. Earlier, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it fired missiles at U.S. military bases stationed in the Gulf region, including Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel attack.
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar said it "strongly condemns that Iran's ballistic missiles targeted Qatari territory," defining the attack as "a blatant violation of Qatar's national sovereignty." The Associated Press reported that Qatar shot down the Iranian missiles.
According to Kuwait's state-run KUNA news agency, the Kuwait Army General Staff also announced that air defense systems intercepted missiles detected in Kuwaiti airspace that day, in accordance with approved operational procedures and rules of engagement. Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it "has the right to exercise self-defense" regarding Iran's attack.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said in a statement that it strongly condemns Iran's "heinous" attack and the "blatant violations" of the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan.