ASTANA – Iran’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Ali Akbar Jokar hosted a press briefing on March 2 as regional tensions continued to escalate following reported strikes involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
Iran’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Ali Akbar Jokar addresses journalists in Astana. Photo credit: Nargiz Raimbekova/ The Astana Times
The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 while talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program were underway. Iran responded the same day with attacks across the region, including strikes targeting U.S. military bases all over the Gulf and broader Middle East region.
As the confrontation continued on the third day, Ali Akbar Jokar said the attacks undermined diplomatic efforts scheduled to continue this week. He said technical talks over Iran’s nuclear program had been set to resume Monday in Geneva, with political negotiations expected later in the week.
“Despite this understanding to continue talks, joint U.S. and Israeli forces launched a military attack against Iran at 11 a.m. Astana time on Saturday,” the ambassador told Kazakh journalists. He also described a direct strike on the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s residence as a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.
“An important question now arises: where is the place for diplomacy, does diplomacy exist or not?” he said. The ambassador compared the latest escalation to events in June 2025, when he said Israeli strikes on Iran were followed by U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities during negotiations.
Citing the latest figures, Akbar Jokar noted that since Saturday, more than 100 sites across Iran have been targeted in missile and aerial attacks. He said that one of the most serious incidents involved a strike on a girls’ school in Hormozgan province. More than 200 students were affected, and according to the latest information he cited, 165 people were killed.
Akbar Jokar also said that the Gandhi hospital in Tehran and several facilities belonging to the International Red Crescent were struck, describing them as civilian infrastructure.
He stressed these actions are “crimes against humanity,” similar to those undertaken in Gaza, killing civilians and children.
On Feb. 28, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed Kazakhstan’s Security Council and law enforcement agencies to develop an emergency response plan amid escalating tensions surrounding Iran and the potential risk of regional instability affecting the country.
Tokayev strongly condemned any military actions aimed at undermining the sovereignty and security of states friendly and fraternal to Kazakhstan, said presidential press secretary Aibek Smadiyarov on March 1.
“Kazakhstan consistently advocates resolving all complex international problems and armed conflicts exclusively through diplomatic means,” Tokayev said.
Kazakhstan’s Air Astana canceled flights to the Middle East through March 2.
