United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday urged the United States and Iran to return urgently to diplomacy following renewed strikes between the two countries, according to Middle East Eye.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that Guterres was gravely concerned by the latest attacks and deeply alarmed by reports that civilians had been killed or injured. The reported casualties included those from a strike said to have hit a wedding ceremony in Iran.
Dujarric said the UN chief condemned every attack directed against civilians. Guterres also reminded all sides that they are required to comply with international humanitarian law as the attacks continue.
The secretary-general specifically pointed to the legal principles of distinction and proportionality. Those obligations require parties involved in attacks to distinguish civilians from other targets and to ensure that the anticipated civilian harm is not disproportionate. His comments placed the protection of civilians at the centre of the UN response to the renewed hostilities.
The statement did not provide further details about the reported strike on the wedding ceremony, the number of civilian casualties, or the locations and scale of the renewed US-Iran attacks. It also did not identify which side was responsible for the reported wedding strike. Guterres’s intervention focused on concern over the civilian impact, condemnation of attacks on non-combatants and the need for both governments to pursue diplomacy.
His appeal called on Washington and Tehran to move away from further attacks and resume diplomatic engagement without delay. The remarks were delivered through Dujarric as the UN leadership responded to reports of fresh violence and civilian harm involving the United States and Iran.
Reporting attribution: based on reporting by Middle East Eye — original source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/un-chief-urges-us-iran-return-urgently-diplomacy-after-renewed-attacks.