UN chief stresses "diplomacy must prevail" after US strikes on Iran
The United Nations Security Council has held an emergency meeting following the US strikes against three nuclear sites in Iran. The Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the world may descend into a "rat hole of retaliation after retaliation."
The meeting was held at Iran's request on Sunday. The UN chief noted that he had made a direct appeal to "give peace a chance" at the council, but "that call was not heeded."
Guterres urged the security council and all member states to "act with reason, restraint and urgency." He stressed that to avoid retaliation after retaliation, "diplomacy must prevail", not military force.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi provided an update on the three Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz that were struck by the US military.
Grossi said that the US had confirmed it used ground penetrating munitions, known as bunker buster bombs, at the Fordow site, where craters are visible, and the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz.
He said that the IAEA had been informed by Iran that there has been no increase in off-site radiation levels at the three sites.
He added that "the IAEA can deploy nuclear safety and security experts to Iran immediately" with support from the member states, to investigate the damage in detail.
US Ambassador and Acting Representative to the UN Dorothy Shea justified the US attacks on the nuclear sites in Iran, accusing Tehran of posing a "nuclear threat" to global security.
She warned that "any Iranian attack, direct or indirect, against Americans or American bases will be met with devastating retaliation."
Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said, "If this council and the United Nations, built to maintain international peace and security, fail to act at this decisive moment, they will forever lose their credibility and relevance."
He urged the council to adopt "effective enforcement action" against the US and Israel.
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