UN chief declares ‘Middle East on brink’ after Iran missile attack on Israel, warns those in region of ‘real danger of devastating, full-scale conflict’

UN chief Antonio Guterres has declared that the Middle East is ‘on the brink’ and that those living in the region face ‘a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict’.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the emergency meeting, which was called after Iran’s attack: ‘Regional – and indeed global – peace and security are being undermined every hour. Neither the region nor the world can afford more war.’

Guterres said retaliation involving the use of force is barred under international law after Iran’s attack on Israel, while the United States warned the Security Council it would work to hold Tehran accountable at the United Nations.

Iran’s ambassador insisted the attack was “in response to the Israeli regime’s military aggression,” highlighting the April 1 attack on an Iranian embassy compound in Damascus that killed seven IRGC officers.

Amir Saeid Iravani said Iran’s armed forces launched last night’s strikes in ‘self-defence’ and that they were ‘necessary and proportionate, they were precise and targeted military targets only.’

Israel’s UN ambassador, Gilad Erdan, requested on Saturday that the council hold the meeting. He held up a video of missiles raining down on the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem as he highlighted the scale of the attack during his speech.

Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, attends a meeting on the situation in the Middle East

Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan shows a video during a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East

“This attack crossed every red line and Israel reserves the right to retaliate,” Erdan said. ‘We are not a frog in boiling water, we are a nation of lions.

‘After such a massive and direct attack on Israel, the whole world, let alone Israel, cannot be content with passivity. We will defend our future.’

He called for more sanctions on Iran and recognition of it as a terrorist state, saying: ‘For the sake of the world, Iran must be stopped today’.

He highlighted the success of Israel’s Iron Dome and allied efforts to stop the 350 missiles he said were fired by Iran at Israel, with the joint response helping to bring down ’99 percent’.

‘The Iranian attack is a serious threat to global peace and security, and I expect the Council to use all means to take concrete steps against Iran,’ Erdan wrote in a post on X ahead of the meeting.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tonight reminded the council that reprisals involving the use of force are barred under international law, adding that now is “the time to defuse and de-escalate” as he warned against further escalation.

Drones or missiles race for targets at undisclosed locations in northern Israel on April 14

He also called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza after more than six months of fighting, the unconditional release of all hostages and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza as it faces famine.

Meanwhile, the US warned the Security Council that it would work to hold Tehran accountable at the UN.

US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood urged the 15-member body to unequivocally condemn Iran’s attack, saying the Security Council has an obligation not to let Iran’s actions go unanswered.

“In the coming days, and in consultation with other member states, the United States will explore additional measures to hold Iran accountable here at the United Nations,” he said, without specifying what actions the United States would take.

A G7 meeting took place this afternoon as leaders condemned Iran’s airstrikes on Israel ‘in the strongest terms’

“Let me be clear: If Iran or its proxies take action against the United States or further action against Israel, Iran will be held accountable,” he said, adding that the United States noted Guterres’ remarks and that Washington’s actions have been defensive. .

Tehran, which had vowed retaliation for what it called an Israeli attack on a building next to its consulate in Damascus on April 1 that killed seven of its officers, said its attack was a punishment for ‘Israeli crimes ‘.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the consulate attack.