Rally in Sweden calls for 'regime change in Iran

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that fast-moving events in the Middle East and Gulf region underscored the dangers of Iran’s alignment with Russia, accusing Tehran of supplying Moscow with Shahed attack drones and related technology used against Ukraine.

“Events in the Middle East and the Gulf region are developing rapidly. Unfortunately, Ukraine knows well what this looks like,” Zelenskyy said in a Persian post on X. “Although Ukrainians have never threatened Iran, the Iranian regime decided to be Putin’s accomplice and provide him with ‘Shahed’ — not only drones, but also the technology. Iran has also provided other weapons to Russia.”

Zelenskyy said Russia had used more than 57,000 Shahed drones during the war, targeting civilians, cities and energy infrastructure, and argued it was fair for Iranians to be given a chance to rid themselves of “a terrorist regime.”

He said saving lives, preventing the war from spreading, and decisive US action were essential, adding that “whenever the United States is determined, global criminals are weakened.”

He said Ukraine was ready to help any nation improve security and justice and reduce what he called terrorist regimes.

Iran formally requested an urgent special session of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors, following attacks by the United States and Israel against its nuclear facilities on Saturday.

In a letter from its mission in Vienna, Iran said the strikes constituted a “flagrant violation” of the UN Charter, the IAEA statute and international law protecting safeguarded nuclear facilities. The letter said the attacks followed months of threats from senior US and Israeli officials against Iran’s nuclear program.

Tehran also accused US officials of publicly threatening further military action and urged the IAEA chief to immediately convene a special session so member states could address ongoing attacks.

Saudi Arabia confirmed it was targeted in an Iranian missile strike earlier on Saturday, and that it repelled attacks on the capital Riyadh and on eastern regions of the country.

The Saudi foreign ministry said the kingdom reserves the right to respond after what it described as “aggressive and unjustifiable” Iranian attacks targeting the Riyadh region, the Eastern Province and Jazan, which it said were successfully intercepted.

In a statement, the ministry expressed strong condemnation and denunciation of the strikes, saying they “cannot be justified or accepted under any pretext.”

Riyadh added that it had previously informed Iranian authorities that it would not allow its airspace or territory to be used to target Iran, underscoring its position despite the latest escalation.

The Israeli military published new footage showing strikes on Iranian soldiers preparing missiles and on a primed launcher in western Iran on Saturday.

The military said it neutralized “many” ballistic missile launchers that were ready for immediate attacks on Israel, and that the Israeli Air Force struck members of Iran’s ballistic missile unit as they were arming a launcher.

Iran’s Red Crescent said on Saturday that more than 20 provinces had been affected by attacks, but said there was “no cause for concern” at this stage, according to state media.

A spokesperson said the biggest reported strike hit a school in the town of Minab, Hormozgan province, where rescue teams were transferring wounded people and the dead.

The Red Crescent urged citizens to stay at least 100 meters away from impact sites and avoid gathering at the locations.