UN chief voices ‘alarmed’ by Israel-Iran military escalation, renews calls for ceasefire

By Anjali Sharma

UNITED NATIONS – UN head António Guterres on Wednesday said that he remains “profoundly alarmed” by the ongoing military escalation between Israel and Iran, as the sides continued to trade airstrikes.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric in a statement issued in New York stated “I reiterate my call for immediate de-escalation leading to a ceasefire,” in which he strongly appealed against any further internationalization of the conflict.

He warned “Any additional military interventions could have enormous consequences, not only for those involved but for the whole region and for international peace and security at large”.

Israel began targeting nuclear and military sites across Iran last Friday prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes on Israeli cities.

Over 240 people have been killed across both countries, according to media reports.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has been monitoring Iran’s nuclear programme for decades, said that it had received information that two centrifuge production facilities were struck on Wednesday.

The agency noted that the TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Center were under its monitoring and verification as part of a 2015 international agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“At the Tehran site, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested,” the agency said in a tweet. “At Karaj, two buildings were destroyed where different centrifuge components were manufactured.”

IAEA passed a resolution declaring that Iran was not complying  with its non-proliferation obligations.

The text noted Iran’s “many failures” to provide the agency with full and timely cooperation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in the country.

Mr. Guterres stressed that “diplomacy remains the best and only way to address concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear programme and regional security issues,” as the crisis deepens in the Middle East.

He underlined that “the UN Charter remains our shared framework to save people from the scourge of war.”

Guterres urged all Member States to fully comply with the document and international law, including international humanitarian law.