WANA (Jan 30) – The United Nations Secretary-General has renewed his call for dialogue and negotiations to reach an agreement on Iran, warning that continued escalation could have serious consequences for regional stability.

 

Speaking to reporters at UN headquarters in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres said that dialogue remains the only viable path to preventing a broader crisis. He stressed that creating space for negotiations—particularly on the nuclear issue—is essential to avoiding a conflict that could have “devastating consequences” for the region.

 

Guterres emphasized that diplomacy must prevail over confrontation and urged all parties to seriously consider proposals put forward by mediators. Referring to Iran’s stated position, he noted that Iranian officials have declared they are not seeking nuclear weapons, adding that conditions appear to be in place for meaningful negotiations and that this opportunity should not be missed. He also called on all sides to engage seriously in talks to prevent a potential conflict that could turn into a “major tragedy.”

 

The UN chief’s remarks come days after the President of the United States published a message on his social media platform announcing the deployment of a large naval force toward Iran. In the post, he adopted a strongly confrontational tone, warning that failure to reach an agreement would lead to harsher actions. He cited previous military operations as evidence of U.S. capability and readiness, and warned that any future action could be even more severe.

 

In response, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations sent a formal letter to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council, strongly condemning the U.S. president’s remarks as “war-mongering, provocative, and in clear violation of the fundamental principles of international law.”

 

Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani stated that threats to use force against a sovereign state constitute a blatant breach of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which explicitly prohibits both the use and threat of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

 

The Iranian envoy further described the statements as part of a broader and well-documented pattern of pressure, intimidation, destabilizing actions, covert operations, and unlawful measures pursued by the United States against Iran. He warned that such an approach does not contribute to resolving disputes and instead increases the risk of escalation and regional instability.