Colombian leader says Trump 'made a mistake' by striking Iran

WASHINGTON

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Saturday said that US President Donald Trump "made a mistake" when he launched joint attacks on Iran alongside Israel that have prompted sweeping Iranian retaliation.

"I believe President Trump has made a mistake today. It is world peace that is the common cause of humanity. Peace and life are the foundations of existence," Petro wrote on X. "The helpless United Nations must convene immediately and declare that it is time for world peace. Nuclear weapons cannot be spread and they must all be destroyed."

Tensions spread across the wider Middle East on Saturday as Iranian missiles targeted US-linked facilities and several countries reported interceptions, following the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran.

In Bahrain, missiles struck a service center affiliated with the US Fifth Fleet, according to the National Contact Center, which said further details would be provided and urged residents to follow official instructions.

Smoke was seen rising in the Juffair area, which hosts a US naval base.

Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that four major US bases in the region were subjected to intensive missile attacks by the Revolutionary Guards, targeting facilities in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE.

In Qatar, the Defense Ministry said it successfully intercepted several missiles targeting the country, adding that all were shot down before reaching Qatari territory.

In the United Arab Emirates, the Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles, but debris fell in a residential area in Abu Dhabi, causing material damage and the death of an Asian national. The country also announced a temporary and partial closure of its airspace as a precautionary measure.

The Jordanian army said it shot down two ballistic missiles targeting its territory, adding that sirens sounded in several areas and aircraft were conducting aerial patrols to safeguard the kingdom’s airspace.

Kuwait and Syria also announced temporary airspace closures as a precautionary measure.

Israel launched what it is calling a “preemptive” attack against Iran early Saturday under the name “Lion’s Roar,” declaring a “special and immediate” state of emergency across the country.

Trump later said his forces launched “major combat operations” in Iran aimed at “protecting the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.”

The attacks come as talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program had been ongoing under Oman’s mediation. A new round of talks in Geneva ended on Thursday.

Last June, the US struck three Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day Israel-Iran war.