Source: United Nations (video statements)
Remarks to the Security Council by Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, on threats to international peace and security.
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Madam President,
On the evening of 21 June, the President of the United States announced that the US military conducted strikes against the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities in Iran.
Shortly thereafter, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran confirmed that the attacks around the nuclear sites had taken place. Iranian state media indicated the three sites had been evacuated and the highly enriched uranium stockpile transferred in advance. Iran has said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations following the strikes.
The Crisis Management Bureau of Qom, where Fordow is located, stated that the perimeter of the Fordow nuclear site had been targeted. Iranian state media said only two tunnels—for entry and exit—were destroyed at Fordow. Preliminary open-source satellite imagery shows damage at various points at the facility.
I urge Iran to allow IAEA inspectors access to the sites to conduct damage assessments as soon as safety conditions allow. I also note that this Council will shortly hear from IAEA Director-General Grossi.
I reiterate the Secretary-General’s grave alarm over the use of force by the United States against Iran.
This latest development must be viewed with the utmost seriousness. It marks a dangerous escalation in a conflict that has already devastated many lives in both countries, in a region on the edge. It is a direct threat to international peace and security.
Madam President,
Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo opted before this Council only two days ago that we were teetering on the edge of a full-blown conflict. I fear we are now in that dangerous moment.
Meanwhile, the hostilities between Israel and Iran continue and are now in their 10th day.
Hours after the US strikes, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched some 40 missiles at Israel.
Israeli authorities reported that more than 85 people were injured in the barrage, and numerous structures in Tel Aviv and its southern suburbs sustained heavy damage, including many residential buildings and an elder care home.
Israel also said it had launched a series of strikes against military targets in Iran, including in Tehran, Tabriz and Yazd. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said 30 fighter jets had struck dozens of military targets across Iran. Iranian media reported several civilian fatalities, including children, and damage to homes and other civilian infrastructure. Earlier on 21 June, Israel attacked, for a second time since 13 June, the Isfahan nuclear complex, hitting six buildings.
According to Iran’s Ministry of Health, as of 21 June, 430 people have been killed and more than 3,500 others injured due to Israeli strikes across Iran. Most have been civilians.
According to Israeli authorities, 25 Israelis have been killed and 1,300 more have been injured since the beginning of exchanges with Iran.
Madam President,
The conflict risks engulfing the region in further instability and volatility. Some nonstate armed groups aligned with Iran warned against US involvement. The Houthis in Yemen and some armed groups in Iraq vowed to attack if the US intervened in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
Iran’s parliament unanimously expressed support for measures to close the Strait of Hormuz – a vital maritime route for global energy transit. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council would need to take the final decision.
I recall the rights and obligations of all States under international law in relation to maritime navigation.
Madam President,
The Middle East cannot afford yet another violent conflict where civilians pay the price of military confrontations. And the world will also not be spared from the ramifications of this dangerous conflict.
I echo the Secretary-General’s call on Member States, and on the members of the Security Council, to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter, notably the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means and other rules of international law. All states must live up to their nuclear commitments.
All parties to the conflict must also comply with the relevant rules of international humanitarian law in the conduct of their military operations.
There is no military solution to this conflict. We need diplomacy, de-escalation and confidence-building is now.
Thank you, Madam President.
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