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U.N. Secretary‑General António Guterres warns Israel–Iran escalation risks wider war, urges diplomacy
Summary
United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres told the Security Council the confrontation between Israel and Iran is accelerating, inflicting civilian harm and risking regional catastrophe, and he urged a return to diplomacy, nonproliferation measures and full IAEA access.
United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres told the UN Security Council that the confrontation between Israel and Iran is “racing” toward a larger crisis and urged parties and the international community to pursue immediate diplomacy.
“This is such a moment,” Guterres said, saying he had “a simple and clear message” for the parties: “give peace a chance.” He described the confrontation as escalating rapidly, killing and injuring civilians, damaging homes and civilian infrastructure, and targeting nuclear facilities.
Guterres said the central question in the confrontation is nuclear nonproliferation. He called the Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons the “cornerstone of international security” and said Iran must respect it. He emphasized that Iran has repeatedly stated it is not seeking nuclear weapons but said a “trust gap” remains that can be bridged only through diplomacy and “a credible, comprehensible and verifiable solution,” including full access for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations technical agency for nuclear verification.
“We are not drifting toward crisis. We are racing toward it,” Guterres said. He warned that the expansion of the conflict “could ignite a fire that no one can control” and appealed to the Security Council to act “with unity and urgency for dialogue.”
Guterres also invoked the UN Charter and international law in urging the international community to back diplomacy as the only viable path to lasting peace, citing the unfolding horrors in Gaza as part of the wider context that makes immediate action urgent.
The remarks followed a short welcome and procedural handover by the session’s presiding officer, who introduced Guterres before the secretary‑general addressed the council. The session record shows no formal vote or adopted resolution on his remarks during the excerpted remarks.
Guterres concluded by urging collective, responsible action to “pull the region and our world back from the brink” and thanked the council for hearing his appeal.
