Tag Archives: IranIsrael

SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Political Affairs chief hails Iran-Israel ceasefire as ‘significant achievement’

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The Security Council is meeting over the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action put in place in 2015 to prevent Iran from weaponising its ambitious nuclear programme, which has been in effective limbo since the US withdrawal in 2018 and Iran’s rejection of parts of the deal. UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo described the US-brokered ceasefire overnight between Israel and Iran as a “significant achievement” and “an opportunity to avoid a catastrophic escalation and achieve a peaceful resolution of the Iran nuclear issue.” Follow our Meetings Coverage Section live coverage below and UN News app users can follow here.

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Iran-Israel war: IAEA chief stresses need for strong new nuclear deal

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“I welcome announcements on Iran situation. Resuming cooperation with [the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)] is key to a successful agreement,” said Rafael Grossi, Director General of the (IAEA).

In a short online post on X, Mr. Grossi added that he had offered to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on working together, “stressing this step can lead to a diplomatic solution to the long-standing controversy” over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Tehran prison concern

Meanwhile, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, insisted that a notorious Tehran prison known for holding dissidents should not be a target, a day after a reported Israeli strike on the complex.

OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told media in Geneva that Evin prison is not a military objective, according to the laws of war.

“Targeting it constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law”, he said.

OHCHR does not have specific details about what the alleged attack, Mr. Al- Kheetan said, but there have reportedly been fires inside the prison and a number of injuries.

Casualty count

An updated casualty count from the Iranian authorities on Tuesday indicated that 610 people have been killed including 49 women and 13 children since 13 June. That number includes two pregnant women and one infant along with 4,746 injured, including 185 women and 65 minors.

Seven hospitals, four health units and six emergency bases and nine ambulances have been damaged, the Iranian health authorities said.

Some 28 Israeli citizens have reportedly been killed by Iranian missile strikes to date.

Civilians must be protected

Political prisoners including journalists are held at Evin prison, but whether they are detained “arbitrarily” or in connection with “crimes they’ve actually committed”, the inmates must be protected, Mr Al-Kheetan insisted.

According to media reports on Tuesday, Iran said that it transferred all the inmates out of the prison after it was hit by an Israeli strike, moving them to other prisons around the capital in order to repair damage.

A fragile ceasefire proposed by the United States seemed to take hold briefly on Tuesday morning, before reports of further Iranian missile strikes on Israel, disputed by Tehran.

The conflict began with Israeli air attacks on 13 June and escalated over the weekend with US forces striking Iranian nuclear facilities. Hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed in the Israeli airstrikes, while Iran’s retaliatory strikes killed close to 30 people in Israel.

Asked about signs of a crackdown on dissent by the Iranian authorities in the context of the Israeli and US military campaign against the country, the OHCHR spokesperson stressed that it was “difficult to verify information” coming from Iran, given the lack of access.

He confirmed seeing reports about Iranians being “arrested for cyber activities and publishing content related to the Israeli attacks on Iran, according to NGOs”.

Mr. Al-Kheetan also spoke of reports that nine men have been executed in Iran since Israel attacked the country on 13 June.

He called on the Iranian authorities to “completely respect the rights to freedom of expression and information, at all times”, insisting that journalists “must be able to do their work without any obstacles”.

Iranian citizens reportedly arrested and accused of espionage or collaboration with Israel “must have their full rights in terms of legal procedures and a fair trial”, he said.

“If these arrests are arbitrary, those persons must be freed immediately and unconditionally,” he concluded.

Human Rights Council concerns

On Monday, independent human rights experts reiterated their concerns about Iran’s “use of broadly defined national security offences, some of which are punishable by death”, in the context of recent reported executions on espionage charges.

Last week, the UN deputy human rights chief, Nada Al-Nashif, told the Human Rights Council that at least 975 people were executed in Iran last year – the highest number of reported executions since 2015.

She also briefed the Council on the use of torture in Iranian prisons and the ongoing targeting of minorities, journalists and human rights defenders.

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Senior envoy warns Iran-Israel conflict is deepening crisis in Afghanistan

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Roza Otunbayeva, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said the ongoing missile attacks between Iran and Israel are already having a tangible impact.

“This conflict is already having an effect in Afghanistan, disrupting trade and increasing the prices of basic goods and fuel, and prompting the return of additional Afghans from Iran,” she said, echoing the Secretary-General’s urgent call for de-escalation.

Anticipating more returnees

More than 600,000 Afghans have returned from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran this year, and she said UN agencies are preparing for potential cross-border movements from Iran considering the “concerning developments” in the region.

“Returns from Iran alone in the past few days have been over 10,000 per day,” she said.  

Local communities and the de facto Taliban authorities “have made huge efforts to absorb returnees, but without international assistance, there are limits to safe, orderly and peaceful returns.”

Concerns over engagement

Ms. Otunbayeva updated the Council on the UN’s ongoing engagement with Taliban leaders who returned to power nearly four years ago.

This “Comprehensive Approach” aims to achieve an Afghanistan that is at peace with itself and its neighbours, fully reintegrated into the international community, meets its international obligations, and without going through another cycle of violence.

She stressed that it “does not seek to normalize the status quo but rather ensure that multiple key issues of concern – in particular upholding the country’s international obligations – remain at the core of engagement efforts.”

A teenage girl in Afghanistan stays at home as she is no longer allowed to attend school.

Erasure of women and girls’ rights continues

She said the international community “remains extremely concerned that engagement has not improved the unacceptable situation of Afghan women and girls, promoted inclusive governance, or prevented a marked deterioration in human rights.”

Meanwhile, the de facto authorities have conveyed grievances around frozen assets, sanctions, non-recognition, the need for greater development assistance, and an end to aid dependency.

She noted that the UN will convene meetings of two working groups on counter-narcotics and the private sector to be held in Doha, Qatar, in the coming days, calling this “an important development that gives momentum to multilateral engagement and builds confidence in the value of mutual cooperation.”

Relative stability, restrictive policies

Ms. Otunbayeva said Taliban rule has provided relative stability and security in Afghanistan, promoted modest economic growth and foreign investment, initiated dormant infrastructure projects, and deepened diplomatic ties abroad, particularly in the region.

However, authorities “continue to implement highly restrictive and discriminatory policies on the Afghan people,” as embodied in the “law on the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice,” which took effect last August. 

This law “cemented” the Taliban’s systematic, state-sponsored policies that exclude women and girls from participation in public life, including access to education, employment, freedom of movement, and freedom of expression.

Reintegration at risk

“Through this law, the de facto authorities are continuing to pursue a path that distances Afghanistan from its international obligations and hinders Afghanistan’s eventual reintegration into the international system,” she said.

“We cannot forget the unacceptable situation of Afghan women and girls, even if their continued marginalisation under increased enforcement of more and more decrees no longer generates headlines.”

The ongoing ban on girls’ education beyond primary school “is the clearest sign of the Taliban’s discrimination against women and continues to set Afghanistan apart from the world,” she said, calling once again for the ban to be lifted and for girls and women to again have the right to education.

One in five going hungry

Joyce Msuya, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, highlighted how funding cuts are impacting Afghanistan, where half of all people require assistance to survive. 

The population faces “persistent and acute humanitarian needs compounded by decades of conflict, entrenched poverty, an ever-harsher climate, severe restrictions on the rights of women and girls and highly constrained funding environment,” she said.

Today, one in every five Afghans is hungry, 3.5 million children are acutely malnourished and roughly 3.7 million children are out of school, including 2.2 million girls over age 11 who are banned from education. Additionally, the maternal mortality rate is over 2.5 times the global average. 

Health facilities shuttered

She said the aid cuts continue to hamper humanitarian response, and 420 health facilities have been forced to shut their doors, affecting more than three million people.

“Almost 300 nutrition sites have closed, depriving 80,000 acutely malnourished children, pregnant women, and new mothers of essential treatment,” she added.

“Despite challenges, and at great risk, our Afghan female colleagues continue to deliver aid, going where others cannot, listening to communities who would otherwise not be heard, and standing by those who might otherwise be forgotten,” she said.

Hardships increase

Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, upheld calls for more diplomacy to address the spiralling crisis in the Middle East and Iran.

“The growing regional and global insecurity will only deepen the hardships faced by Afghan women and girls, compounding poverty, displacement, violence and deprivation,” she warned.

Additionally, the ability of the UN and partners to support Afghan women has been drastically undermined by legal and bureaucratic barriers which make it harder than ever to hire women, let alone reach them, at a time when deep cuts to aid budgets “have ever more devastating consequences.”

‘Unshakeable determination’

“Yet, we stay, and we deliver, as we always have,” said Ms. Bahous, highlighting how UN Women continues to navigate through endless restrictions and negotiate with the Taliban.

“And, Afghan women continue to lead the way,” she added.  “They have opened underground schools; organized in silence; built lives in those slivers of space left to them. They have shown unshakable determination, even when the world faltered.” 

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Iran-Israel crisis: IAEA chief urges access to damaged nuclear sites

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Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was addressing the agency’s Board of Governors, amid fresh reports of new Israeli missile strikes on Iranian military sites in Tehran and elsewhere earlier on Monday. Iranian weapons fire has also been reported across Israel. 

Mr. Grossi – who also addressed an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Sunday – insisted that the agency’s weapons inspectors should return to Iran’s nuclear sites and account for their stockpiles.

There is particular concern about 400 kilogrammes of uranium enriched to 60 per cent by Iran.

Under the terms of a 2015 nuclear deal with the international community, Iran is permitted to enrich the naturally occurring radioactive material to less than four per cent.

“Craters are now visible at the Fordow site, Iran’s main location for enriching uranium at 60 per cent, indicating the use of ground-penetrating munitions; this is consistent with statements from the United States,” he told the IAEA Board of Governors. “At this time, no one including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordow.”

Mr. Grossi said that taking into account the highly explosive payload used in the US attacks, “very significant damage is expected to have occurred” to the highly sensitive centrifuge machinery used to enrich uranium at Fordow.

Several sites hit

Fordow is one of several nuclear-related sites across Iran that are known to have been damaged in the strikes by the United States, including those in Esfahan, Arak and Tehran.

In comments to the UN Security Council in New York on Sunday, the IAEA chief said that although radiation levels remained normal outside these nuclear facilities, deep concerns remained about Iran’s operational nuclear plant at Bushehr.

Any strike on Bushehr could trigger a massive radiation release across the region –  “the risk is real”, Mr. Grossi said.

Eleven days after Israel launched air and missile strikes at Iranian military and nuclear sites, some 430 people are believed to have been killed in Iran, most of them civilians.

According to Israeli reports, 25 people have been killed and more than 1,300 injured by Iranian missile strikes.

UN reiterates call for urgent de-escalation amid Iran-Israel conflict, worsening Gaza crisis

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In a joint call to de-escalate, UN agencies have warned that further conflict risks triggering new displacement in a region already strained by decades of war and instability.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) noted military strikes have led people in both Iran and Israel to flee their homes in search of safety from tit-for-tat missile strikes.

“Movements have been reported from Tehran and other parts of Iran, with some choosing to cross into neighbouring countries,” the agency stated. Meanwhile, “shelling has caused people in Israel to seek shelter elsewhere in the country and in some cases abroad.”

“This region has already endured more than its share of war, loss, and displacement – we cannot allow another refugee crisis to take root,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “The time to de-escalate is right now. Once people are forced to flee, there’s no quick way back – and all too often, the consequences last for generations.”

UNHCR urged countries in the region to respect the right to seek asylum and ensure humanitarian access to those affected, while calling on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Nuclear risks rise as Iran facilities hit

The conflict escalated sharply following Israeli airstrikes on multiple Iranian nuclear-related sites in the past week, including a centrifuge manufacturing workshop in Esfahan, according to the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“This is the third such facility that has been targeted over the past week,” Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed, noting that the facility had been under IAEA surveillance as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the nuclear deal signed with Iran in 2015, which the United States pulled out of in 2017.

“We know this facility well. There was no nuclear material at this site and therefore the attack on it will have no radiological consequences,” he said. However, Mr. Grossi warned that continued strikes on nuclear infrastructure are severely undermining nuclear safety and security.

“Though they have not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public, there is a danger this could occur.”

The IAEA has been tracking damage to sites in Esfahan, Arak, Karaj, Natanz and Tehran since the Israeli military campaign against Iran began on 13 June. T

he agency has been providing regular updates to the UN Security Council, which has yet to reach consensus on a response. On Friday, ambassadors debating the escalation heard during an emergency meeting in New York heard UN Secretary-General António Guterres warn that if fighting escalated it could “ignite a fire no one can control.”

Gaza in ruins, Palestinians face starvation

The mounting regional crisis is unfolding against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, where humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate.

On Saturday, the head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, painted a grim picture of life in the enclave during an address to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul.

“In Gaza, two million people are being starved,” he said bluntly. “The newly created, so-called ‘aid mechanism’ is an abomination that humiliates and degrades desperate people. It is a death-trap, costing more lives than it saves.”

Lazzarini described a territory devastated by nearly two years of conflict, with more than 55,000 reported dead by local authorities in the Strip – the majority of them women and children.

Survivors, he said, “are shadows of their former selves; their lives forever changed by unspeakable trauma and profound loss.”

In the occupied West Bank, displacement and destruction of public infrastructure are altering the demography of Palestinian camps, he added, in what he described as an effort to erase the prospect of a Palestinian State under the UN-backed two-State solution and strip Palestinians of refugee status.

UNRWA in the crosshairs

“UNRWA has become an objective of this war,” Mr. Lazzarini warned, citing the deaths of at least 318 of the agency’s staff in Gaza since the 7 October terror attacks on Israel by Hamas and other militants, the expulsion of international staff, and a campaign of disinformation aimed at crippling its funding.

Despite these pressures, UNRWA continues to provide lifesaving services, including over 15,000 health consultations per day, waste management and shelter support.

UNRWA’s financial situation is now “dire,” the agency chief said. “Without additional funding, I will soon have to take unprecedented decisions affecting our operations across the region.”

He appealed to Member States to act urgently: “The sudden loss or reduction of UNRWA’s services will only deepen suffering and despair across the occupied Palestinian territory. It might spark unrest in the neighbouring countries. This is something that the region cannot afford, especially now.”

‘A fire no one can control’: UN warns of spiralling Iran-Israel war

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In an address to the UN Security Council on Friday, Mr. Guterres made an urgent plea for de-escalation, calling the spiralling confrontation a defining moment for the future of global security.

“We are not drifting toward crisis – we are racing toward it,” he said.

“This is a moment that could shape the fate of nations…the expansion of this conflict could ignite a fire no one can control,” he warned.

Widespread panic, destruction

The Secretary-General’s remarks came amid a mounting civilian toll in both Israel and Iran, and as several nuclear sites in Iran have come under direct military assault.

Over 100 targets have been struck across Iran, including military and nuclear infrastructure such as the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities and the Khondab heavy water reactor.

Iranian officials report over 224 civilian deaths, with some estimates twice as high. More than 2,500 have been injured reportedly – while major cities like Tehran have seen mass displacements, fuel shortages and widespread panic.

Iran has responded with its own barrage of missile strikes on Israel, hitting cities such as Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beersheba. Critical civilian sites, including the Soroka Medical Center and the Weizmann research institute, have been damaged. Twenty-four Israelis are confirmed dead, with more than 900 injured.

Give peace a chance

Mr. Guterres urged both parties to give diplomacy a chance, reiterating the need for full Iranian cooperation with the UN nuclear energy watchdog, IAEA, and warning that the “only thing predictable about this conflict is its unpredictability.”

He also called for unity within the Security Council and adherence to the UN Charter.

“The Non-Proliferation Treaty is a cornerstone of international security,” he said. “Iran must respect it. But the only way to bridge the trust gap is through diplomacy – not destruction.”

A wide view of the Security Council meeting on the Israel-Iran crisis.

Regional fallout expanding

Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for political affairs, echoed those concerns, providing a grim overview of the violence and rising human toll.

“The vast majority are civilians,” she said, warning of a “humanitarian crisis in real time.”

The regional fallout is expanding, with airspace restrictions now spanning Lebanon to Iraq. Missiles from Yemen’s Houthi forces have targeted Israel and occupied Palestinian territory, while armed groups in Iraq are reportedly mobilizing.

“Any further expansion of the conflict could have enormous consequences for international peace and security,” Ms. DiCarlo cautioned.

She also highlighted global economic implications, noting that trade through the vital Strait of Hormuz has fallen 15 per cent amid rising tensions.

Grave warnings on nuclear safety

The most alarming update, however, came from IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, who warned the Council that Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities are degrading critical safety systems and placing millions at potential radiological risk.

At Natanz, the destruction of electricity infrastructure and direct strikes on enrichment halls have led to internal contamination. While no radiological release has been detected outside the facility, Mr. Grossi warned that uranium compounds now pose significant health hazards within.

At Isfahan, multiple buildings – including a uranium conversion plant and a metal processing facility – were hit. At Arak’s Khondab reactor site, damage was sustained, though the facility was not operational.

The greatest risk, however, is the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which remains operational.

A direct strike, Mr. Grossi warned, “could result in a high release of radioactivity to the environment.”

Millions at risk

Even disruption of its external power supply could lead to a core meltdown. In the worst-case scenario, radiation would affect populations hundreds of kilometres away and require mass evacuations.

Mr. Grossi also warned against any attack on the Tehran Nuclear Research Reactor, which could endanger millions in the capital.

“Nuclear facilities and material must not be shrouded by the fog of war,” he said. “We must maintain communication, transparency and restraint.”

Pledge to stay

Concluding his briefing, Mr. Grossi pledged that the IAEA would continue to monitor and report on nuclear safety conditions in Iran and reiterated his readiness to mediate.

He stressed the agency “can guarantee, through a watertight inspections system,” that nuclear weapons will not be developed in Iran, urging dialogue.

“The alternative is a protracted conflict – and a looming nuclear threat that would erode the global non-proliferation regime.”

Iran-Israel crisis: UN rights office appeals for urgent de-escalation

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Israel began targeting nuclear and military sites across Iran last Friday, prompting a barrage of retaliatory strikes on Israeli cities.

“The UN human rights office urges de-escalation and urgent diplomatic negotiations to end these attacks and find a way forward,” said Ms. Al-Nashif. “We are following closely and are aware of reports that many thousands of residents are fleeing parts of the capital, Tehran, as a result of warnings covering broad areas.”

Latest reports from the region indicate that more than 200 people have been killed in Iran and 24 in Israel to date. The violence continued unabated overnight in both countries. 

Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva at a scheduled meeting to discuss Iran’s rights record, the Deputy High Commissioner highlighted serious concerns that populated areas have been hit in the escalation.

“It is imperative that both sides fully respect international law, in particular by ensuring the protection of civilians in densely populated areas and of civilian objects,” she said. “We urge all those with influence to engage in negotiation as a matter of priority.”

Nuclear watchdog update

In a related development, the UN-backed nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday that two Iranian centrifuge production facilities had suffered major damage after being targeted.

“The TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Centre, were hit,” it said in an update. “At the Tehran site, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested. 

At Karaj, two buildings were destroyed where different centrifuge components were manufactured,” said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Speaking at the Council after the Deputy High Commissioner, Iran’s Permanent Representative of Iran, Ambassador Ali Bahreini, condemned the Israeli strikes: 

“There has been no violation worse than [the] 13 June act of aggression against Iran,” he said, pointing to “continuous blind attacks on residential areas, bombardment of vital supplies, explosion of drinking water resources and reckless strikes on nuclear facilities are immediately impacting the civilians and people of Iran.”

Such “deliberate targeting” of his country’s nuclear facilities risked exposing local communities to a “possible hazardous leak”, the Iranian ambassador continued. “This is not an act of war against our country, it is war against humanity.”

In a short statement to the Council from which Israel announced its withdrawal earlier this year, Mr. Bahreini called for accountability and international condemnation of the Israeli attacks. 

“This impunity must come to [an] end,” he said. “Israel activities are not just against one or two countries. It is acting against all humanity and their actions target all human rights.”

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Security Council meets in emergency session over Iran-Israel conflict, amid strikes and counterstrikes

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The Council cleared its original schedule to address the rapidly evolving crisis, also hearing from the head of the UN-backed international nuclear watchdog, who warned of the grave risks to regional stability and nuclear safety.

Overnight from Thursday into Friday, Israeli military strikes targeted nuclear facilities across Iran, including the Natanz enrichment site. Media reports indicate that Hossein Salami, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as several prominent nuclear scientists, were among those killed.

The strikes also caused significant damage, including reportedly dozens of civilian casualties. Airspace in the region has been largely closed and security forces are on high alert.

Additional Israeli strikes were reported late Friday local time as well as ballistic missile launches by Iran which have reportedly struck parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv.

Avoid conflagration at all costs: DiCarlo

Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for political affairs told ambassadors that the repercussions of the attacks were already reverberating.

“I reaffirm the Secretary-General’s condemnation of any military escalation in the Middle East,” she said, urging both Israel and Iran to exercise maximum restraint and “avoid at all costs a descent into deeper and wider regional conflict”.

She also noted that the military escalation came just as “some significant diplomatic developments” were unfolding, including the planned resumption of United States-Iranian talks in Oman at the weekend. Latest reports indicate that Iran will no longer attend.

Ms. DiCarlo urged parties to stay the diplomatic course.

“A peaceful resolution through negotiations remains the best means to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme,” she said.

“We must at all costs avoid a growing conflagration which would have enormous global consequences.”

Nuclear watchdog head urges protection of atomic sites

Also briefing the Council, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said his agency was in constant contact with the Iranian Nuclear Regulatory Authority to assess the status of affected facilities and determine broader impacts on nuclear safety and security.

Rafael Grossi (on screen), IAEA Director General briefs the Security Council.

He stressed that nuclear sites must never be targeted – under any circumstances.

“Such attacks have serious implications for nuclear security, nuclear safety and safeguards, as well as regional and international peace and security,” Mr. Grossi said.

He stands ready to travel to the region at the earliest opportunity, he added, to assess the situation and support safety, security and non-proliferation efforts in Iran.

“It is clear that the only sustainable path forward for Iran, for Israel, the entire region and the international community is one grounded in dialogue and diplomacy to ensure peace, stability and cooperation.”

Mr. Grossi concluded by offering the IAEA as a neutral platform where “facts prevail over rhetoric” and where technical engagement replace escalation.

“I reaffirm my personal and the agency’s readiness to facilitate dialogue and support efforts that promote transparency, security and the peaceful resolution of nuclear issues in Iran.”

Broadcast of the Security Council meeting.

More to follow on this developing story…