The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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President William Ruto has appealed for urgent and inclusive diplomatic efforts to ease the fast-rising conflict in the Middle East following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a statement released Monday, Ruto cautioned that the deepening crisis risks undermining regional stability as well as global peace and economic security. He emphasized that established multilateral institutions remain critical in resolving the unfolding situation.
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The President said Kenya strongly condemns attacks reported in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain as the conflict spreads across the region. Posting on X, Ruto warned that the widening scope of the confrontation poses a serious threat to international peace and security.
His remarks follow heightened tensions after Khamenei, Iran’s top authority since 1989, was confirmed dead in coordinated strikes attributed to the United States and Israel. The operation reportedly targeted Iran’s military and nuclear facilities and resulted in the deaths of other senior officials.
In response, Tehran launched missile and drone attacks against Israeli and US positions in the Gulf, vowing retaliation. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian termed the killing a “declaration of war against Muslims,” framing it as a broader act of aggression.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi maintained that Iran was not attacking neighbouring Gulf states directly but was targeting US military presence in those countries. Nonetheless, several Gulf nations have reported damage to civilian infrastructure, some blamed on debris from intercepted missiles.
Domestically, Iran has formed an interim leadership council as the constitutional process to appoint a new supreme leader begins. The transition has added uncertainty within the country and heightened concerns over further instability.
Meanwhile, Israel has expanded operations to include strikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, broadening the conflict. Demonstrations have also broken out in different parts of the world, reflecting sharply divided global reactions to the escalating crisis.
