Civilian casualties in the Israeli and US strikes on Iran are in the hundreds, Iran's UN envoy Amir Seyed Iravani said at an emergency meeting of the Security Council, the Associated Press reported.
Iravani described the attack as a “war crime and crime against humanity“. “The aggression and atrocities of the US and Israeli regimes, as well as their deliberate and persistent attacks on civilian infrastructure, continue”, he said. “This is not just an act of aggression, it is a war crime and a crime against humanity“.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Walz, for his part, stressed that Washington's actions were legal. “Iran cannot have nuclear weapons“, he told the Security Council. “This principle is not a matter of politics. It is a matter of global security. And to that end, the US is taking lawful action“.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said that the chants of “Death to Israel, Death to America“ and the burning of flags constituted “state-sanctioned hatred“ and preparation for action. “Today, together with our ally the US, we took action to stop an existential threat before it became irreversible“, he said. "We acted out of necessity," Danon added, saying that diplomatic options had been exhausted.
Addressing the Iranian people, the Israeli diplomat said the operation was aimed "against a regime that silenced you," and stressed that Israel "is with you."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he deeply regretted that the opportunity for a diplomatic solution had been "wasted," Reuters reported. He added that he could not confirm reports of the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Guterres warned that "military action risks triggering a chain of events that no one can control in the world's most volatile region," AFP reported. He condemned both the strikes on Iran and Iranian attacks in the region, and called for an “immediate” ceasefire.
On behalf of the Gulf states, Bahraini envoy Jamal Fares Al-Rowayeh read a joint statement condemning the “vile” Iranian attacks on countries in the region. “We hold the Iranian government fully responsible for these attacks and reject any justification or explanation for this hostile behavior,” he said on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries – the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain – as well as Syria and Jordan.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry also condemned “categorically” the Iranian attacks on the Gulf monarchies, without mentioning the Israeli and US strikes. According to the Associated Press, this reflects the efforts of the new Syrian government to restore ties with regional powers and Washington.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled his planned trip to Israel early next week. There is no information yet whether a new date for the visit will be set.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow in connection with the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, Reuters and DPA reported.
The meeting is being convened at the request of Russia and will begin at 09:00 local time, the UN agency announced. Earlier, Iran also insisted on convening an emergency meeting.
According to Russian representative Mikhail Ulyanov, it is expected to take place before the start of the regular spring meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors.
According to diplomats, there are no signs yet that Iranian nuclear facilities were affected in yesterday's strikes. A letter from the Iranian mission, published on the social network “Ex“ (X), also does not make it clear whether the nuclear facilities were hit. However, the document refers to a “threat“ to nuclear facilities, which should be discussed within the IAEA.
The regular spring meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors was scheduled for Monday anyway. Technical talks with Iran were also planned for next week as a continuation of the nuclear negotiations with the US in Geneva, but the Iranian mission did not comment on the topic.
The IAEA said there were currently no indications of "radioactive fallout" from the latest attacks on Iran. The agency called for restraint "to avoid any risks to the nuclear safety of the population in the region," and stressed that it was closely monitoring the situation in constant contact with the affected countries.
The US and Israeli attack on Iran caused massive flight disruptions in the Middle East and beyond, as a number of countries closed their airspace, and three key airports connecting Europe, Africa and the West with Asia suspended operations, the Associated Press reported.
Hundreds of thousands of passengers were stranded or rerouted after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace. There were also no flights over the United Arab Emirates, according to the traffic tracking site “Flytradar24” (FlightRadar24) after authorities announced a “temporary and partial” closure of airspace.
This led to the suspension of operations at key airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha and the cancellation of more than 1,800 flights by major Middle Eastern airlines. Three of them - – – – Emirates“ (Etihad), – Qatar Airways“ (Qatar Airways) and – (Etihad) - usually carry about 90,000 passengers a day through these hubs, according to aviation analytics company – Cirium“ (Cirium).
Later on Saturday, Dubai International Airport - one of the world's busiest - reported four injuries. – Emirates“ condemned the incident, calling it an "apparent Iranian ballistic missile attack." Strikes were also reported at other commercial airports in the region, including Kuwait International Airport.
"For travelers, there is no way to hide the truth," said Henry Harteveld, an aviation analyst and president of the Atmosphere Research Group. "You should be prepared for delays or cancellations over the next few days as these attacks continue and hopefully end."
Rerouting and the risk of higher fares
Airlines flying through the region are being forced to reroute, with many flights diverting south over Saudi Arabia. This adds hours to travel times and increases fuel costs. In the event of a prolonged conflict, ticket prices could start to rise.
The additional traffic will also strain Saudi air traffic control, which could lead to delays to ensure safety. Countries that have closed their airspace will lose revenue from overflight fees.
Mike McCormick, a former head of air traffic control at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and current professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said a partial reopening of the airspace could happen in the coming days.
“Those countries will be able to assess and say, ‘Okay, we can reopen this part of our airspace, but we’re going to keep this part closed,’” McCormick said. “I think in the next 24 to 36 hours we will see how the airspace usage evolves as the kinetic activity becomes more clearly defined and Iran's ability to launch missiles and create additional risk is reduced as a result of the attacks“.
It is not clear how long the disruptions will last. For comparison, the previous escalation in June 2025 lasted 12 days.
Diverted and returned flights
According to “FlightAware“ at least 145 planes that were en route to Tel Aviv and Dubai were diverted to Athens, Istanbul or Rome, while others returned to their airports of departure. One flight from Philadelphia spent nearly 15 hours in the air, reached Spain and then turned back.
Many airlines have canceled flights to Dubai and other destinations in the region. India's aviation authority has declared much of the Middle East airspace a high-risk zone. “Air India“ has canceled all flights to the region. “Turkish Airlines“ has suspended flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan, as well as to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE and Oman.
The US “Delta Air Lines“ and “United Airlines“ have suspended flights to Tel Aviv at least for the weekend. The Dutch “KLM“ (KLM) had already announced earlier this week that it was suspending flights to and from the Israeli city. “Lufthansa“, “Air France“, “Transavia“ and “Pegasus“ have all canceled flights to Lebanon, while “American Airlines“ has suspended its Philadelphia-Doha route.
British Airways said it was suspending flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until next week, and flights to Amman were canceled on Saturday. Virgin Atlantic said it would avoid flying over Iraq, extending the travel ban.
"Passengers should expect a lot of disruption," Harteveld said. "Frankly, if you haven't left home yet, you probably won't if you have to travel to or through these destinations for at least a few days, if not longer. And if you're returning home, you're going to have to be very creative to get there."
The situation remains fluid, and airlines are urging passengers to check their flight status online before heading to the airports.