UN Security Council holds emergency meeting on US strikes in Iran

UN Secretary General warns of 'Perilous Turn' as Israel, Iran, and U.S. defend actions

- Surinder Singh Oberoi

An emergency session of the UN Security Council headquarters convened yesterday in New York as the world grappled with the fallout from the United States’ bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites, an action that Secretary-General António Guterres called a “perilous turn” in West Asia or the Middle East.

The escalation, which saw U.S. airstrikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities, has prompted fears of a broader regional war and raised alarms over the future of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.

Guterres, addressing the Council, urged an immediate halt to military actions and called for the protection of civilians, the safeguarding of maritime routes, and a return to diplomacy. “We risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation,” he warned. The Secretary-General emphasised the need for full access for IAEA inspectors and reaffirmed the importance of the Non-Proliferation Treaty as a pillar of international security.