Demand for immediate ceasefire:Secretary General of the United Nations
JERUSALEM/DUBAI/WASHINGTON/GENEVA:(Web desk) – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire between Iran and Israel, warning that escalating tensions could spiral out of control.
Addressing a UN Security Council session on the Iran-Israel conflict on Friday, Guterres emphasized that Iran has repeatedly stated it is not pursuing nuclear weapons.
He urged all parties to give peace a chance.
“If the situation escalates further, it may slip beyond anyone’s control,” Guterres warned. “I call for an immediate halt to hostilities and urge both sides to return to the negotiating table.”
He further stated that the Security Council must send a clear message of peace, noting that civilians on both sides are suffering due to the ongoing conflict. “We demand an immediate ceasefire from both countries,” the UN chief said.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that Iran was attacked while negotiations on its nuclear program were underway.
Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Abbas Araqchi said that an unjustified war was imposed on the Iranian people and that Israel attacked our facilities.
He said that Iran is defending itself against Israeli barbarity, that Israel attacked residential areas and hospitals in Iran, and that it is determined to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty with force.
Iran said that it would not discuss the future of its nuclear programme while under attack by Israel, as Europe tried to coax Tehran back into negotiations and the United States considers whether to get involved in the conflict.
A week after it began attacking Iran, Israel’s military said it had carried out new strikes on dozens of military targets overnight, including missile production sites and a research organisation involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran.
Iran launched at least one new barrage of missiles early on Friday, striking near residential apartments, office buildings and industrial facilities in the southern city of Beersheba.
The White House said on Thursday that President Donald Trump would decide on “whether or not to go” with US involvement in the conflict in the next two weeks, citing the possibility of negotiations involving Iran in the near future.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday there was no room for negotiations with Israel’s superpower ally the United States “until Israeli aggression stops”.
But he was due to meet European foreign ministers in Geneva later on Friday for talks at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear programme.
