UN Chief Warns Bombing of Nuclear Sites Marks 'Perilous Turn'

"Two days ago, in this very chamber, I made a direct appeal: Give peace a chance. That call was not heeded," Guterres said during an emergency U.N. Security Council session on Iran, which was requested by Tehran and backed by Russia.

Guterres said that "instead, the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the U.S. marks a perilous turn in a region that is already reeling."

Stressing that the Middle East "cannot endure another cycle of destruction," he warned: "We now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation."

"To avoid it, diplomacy must prevail. Civilians must be protected. Safe maritime navigation must be guaranteed," Guterres stressed.

Emphasizing the importance of international law, he said: "We need a credible, comprehensive, and verifiable solution—one that restores trust—including full access to inspectors of the IAEA, as the U.N. technical authority in this field."

Calling the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) "a cornerstone of international peace and security," Guterres urged Iran to fully respect it and said all member states must adhere to the UN Charter and international humanitarian law.

"Peace cannot be imposed; it must be chosen," the U.N. chief stressed, urging the Security Council and "all member states to act with reason, restraint, and urgency. We cannot—and must not—give up on peace."

Iran's UN envoy says US 'waged a war' under 'absurd pretext'

Iran's U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, spoke at the emergency meeting hours after the U.S. inserted itself into Israel’s war against Iran by striking three nuclear sites inside the Islamic Republic.

He called the U.S. strike "another stain" in its history and said the Israeli premier hijacked U.S. foreign policy, dragging Washington into a baseless war.

"The United States, a permanent member of this Council... has now once again resorted to illegal force, waged a war against my country, under a fabricated and absurd pretext: preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons," Amir Saeid Iravani told the UN Security Council.

He stated that the U.S. “decided to destroy diplomacy” with its strikes on the country's nuclear program and that the Iranian military will decide the "timing, nature and scale of Iran’s proportionate response."

Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also called for restraint as he voiced fears over "potential widening" of the conflict.

"We have a window of opportunity to return to dialogue and diplomacy. If that window closes, violence and destruction could reach unthinkable levels and the global non-proliferation regime as we know it could crumble and fall," Grossi said.

Speaking to the Security Council by video link, he said there were visible craters at Iran's key Fordo nuclear facility, "indicating the use by the United States of America of ground-penetrating munitions."

But Grossi noted that no one had been able to assess the underground damage at Fordo.

He added that "armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked."

The emergency session comes following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement early Sunday that his forces bombed three Iranian nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.

The U.S. targeted Iran's nuclear sites with six bunker-buster bombs dropped on the Fordo facility with B-2 stealth bombers, along with dozens of submarine-launched cruise missile strikes on the Natanz and Isfahan facilities.

The attacks came as the latest escalation in a U.S.-backed Israeli military assault on Iran since June 13, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory attacks on Israel.

Israeli authorities said at least 25 people have been killed and hundreds injured since then in Iranian missile attacks.

Source: HDN