The UN Security Council met at the request of Israel in connection with Iran’s attack on that country. Iran-Israel: at an emergency meeting of the Security Council, the UN Secretary General called on the parties to show restraint Peace and Security
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all parties to make efforts to defuse tensions. He stated this while speaking at an emergency meeting of the Security Council, convened at the request of Israel the day after Iran’s attack on that country.
UN Head greetings quote from a letter sent on April 13 to the President of the Security Council by the Permanent Representative of Israel: “Iran, in violation of the UN Charter and international law, launched a direct attack from Israeli territory using more than 200 UAVs, cruise and ballistic missiles ”
Yesterday, Guterres continued, the Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran also sent a letter to the President of the Security Council stating – quote – that “late in the evening of April 13, 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran launched a series of military strikes against Israeli military targets.”
The Iranian side, as noted by the UN Secretary General, insists that these actions were taken “in order to exercise Iran’s inalienable right to self-defense as set out in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, and in response to Israel’s repeated military aggression, in particular its armed attack on April 1, 2024 on Iranian diplomatic premises” in Damascus.
According to recent reports, Guterres emphasized, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles from its territory towards Israel, most of which were intercepted. Several rockets were reported to have landed in Israel, one of which damaged an Israeli military facility in the south of the country. In total, several civilians were injured.
The UN Secretary General recalled that the day before, when the nature of the attack became clear, he issued a statement in which he strongly condemned “the serious escalation caused by the large-scale attack on Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran” and called for an immediate end to these hostilities.
“I remind all Member States that the Charter of the United Nations prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the Organization United Nations,” Guterres said.
In addition, according to him, international law requires unconditional respect for the principle of inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel. Let us recall that earlier the head of the UN condemned the April 1 attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
It is critical to avoid any actions that could lead to a major military confrontation on multiple fronts in the Middle East
“It is time to step back from the brink,” warned the Secretary-General. “It is critical to avoid any actions that could lead to a major military confrontation on multiple fronts in the Middle East.”
According to him, the main burden of such escalation falls on the shoulders of the civilian population. He recalled that the international community has a shared responsibility to actively engage with all stakeholders to prevent further escalation. “As stated in the 1970 Declaration of Friendly Relations, acts of retaliation involving the use of force are prohibited by international law,” he recalled.
“We have a shared responsibility to ensure an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the unconditional release of all hostages and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid,” Guterres added. “We have a shared responsibility for ending the violence in the occupied West Bank, de-escalating the situation along the Blue Line and restoring safe navigation in the Red Sea.”
In general, the Secretary General concluded, Members of the Security Council have a responsibility to maintain peace, and regional – and global – peace and security are under threat that is growing worse by the hour. “Neither the region nor the world can afford an even bigger war,” he stressed.