Iran says Kenya not a target as it seeks revenge after attack by US, Israel

During a press briefing in Nairobi on Monday, Iranian Ambassador to Kenya Dr Ali Gholampour noted that Kenya does not provide a US military facility with the capability to attack Iran.

His assurance comes as Iran carries out multiple attacks across the Middle East in retaliation for strikes by the United States and Israel that killed its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other top government officials.

So far, Iran's missiles have hit the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, with the dangerous escalation having started after the United States of America and Israel attacked the country on Saturday and killed its top officials.

Ambassador Gholampour added that Kenya does not house a U.S. military installation of enough strategic importance to justify an assault.

The Iranian Ambassador to Kenya, while condemning the attacks by the US and Israel, said Kenya is not in its crosshairs.

"This country does not provide a US military facility with a magnitude to attack Iran," he said.

He termed the Saturday morning attacks as cowardly against Iran, terming it "a fragrant violation of international peace and stability"

He further stated that Iran, as a State, has a right to self-defence, warning that the United States and Israel shall bear full responsibility for the aftermath.

"You have opened a door that you cannot close," he warned, calling on the United Nations to call an end to the escalation.

Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates all announced at least partial closures of their skies after Saturday's strikes.

Meanwhile, Kenya's national carrier, Kenya Airways, has suspended its flights to Dubai and Sharjah until further notice.

President William Ruto has condemned the missile strikes targeting the Gulf region, noting that regionalisation of the conflict poses a grave threat to international peace and security, calling for engagements that will open talks for de-escalation.

"At this defining and perilous moment in global history, longstanding multilateral institutions remain indispensable frameworks for the resolution of the current crisis in the Middle East," Ruto said.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has also issued a travel and safety advisory to citizens living in or transiting through the Middle East

The United Nations Security Council also held an emergency meeting over the fighting, with Iran's envoy accusing the US and Israel of committing a possible "war crime" by attacking civilians.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said military action in the Middle East "carries the risk of igniting a chain of events that no one can control".