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By EDITH M. LEDERER
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — In a fervent plea for peace, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has denounced the recent U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, urging an immediate return to diplomatic negotiations. Speaking at an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council on Saturday, Guterres stressed the urgent need to de-escalate tensions to prevent a broader conflict. “The alternative,” he cautioned, “is a potential wider conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability.”
The Secretary-General also criticized Iran’s retaliatory strikes, which encroached on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of several countries, including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Before the meeting, Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon addressed reporters, labeling the condemnation of the airstrikes as “hypocrisy.” He argued that Iran’s actions, through its proxies and its nuclear and missile programs, necessitated the airstrikes by Israel and the U.S. as a measure to avert an “irreversible and immediate threat.”
The airstrike in Iran resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to reports by The Associated Press. The assassination has significantly raised the specter of a prolonged conflict, especially with Iranian vows of retaliation. In response, President Donald Trump remarked on social media, describing Khamenei’s death as “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”
The attack on Iran killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, The Associated Press has reported. The assassination of the second leader of the Islamic Republic, who had no designated successor, raised the prospects of a protracted conflict given Iranian threats of retaliation. President Donald Trump on social media called his passing “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a letter to the secretary-general, accused the United States and Israel of “flagrantly” violating Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the U.N. Charter. He said Iran was exercising its right to self-defense under the charter in response.
He urged the council members “to take the necessary and immediate measures to halt this unlawful use of force and to ensure accountability.” And he called for an unequivocal condemnation of “this act of aggression … as it undoubtedly poses an unprecedented threat to regional as well as global peace and security.”
Five council members — Bahrain, which is the Arab representative on the council, France, Russia, China and Colombia — called for the emergency meeting.
In a joint statement, the leaders of Britain and France — both veto-wielding members of the council — along with Germany’s chancellor called for a resumption of U.S.-Iranian talks on Tehran’s nuclear program. The three countries, part of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, have led efforts to reach a negotiated solution. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal in 2018.
The three European leaders strongly condemned Iranian airstrikes in the region — not the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes — and urged Iran’s leaders to seek a negotiated solution, saying: “Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future.”
The Security Council meeting is taking place on the last day of the United Kingdom’s presidency and a day before the United States takes over the rotating presidency for the month of March.
