{"id":132648,"date":"2026-03-01T11:02:54","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T11:02:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/un-chief-guterres-urges-ceasefire-after-us-israel-and-iran-escalation\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T11:02:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T11:02:54","slug":"un-chief-guterres-urges-ceasefire-after-us-israel-and-iran-escalation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/un-chief-guterres-urges-ceasefire-after-us-israel-and-iran-escalation\/","title":{"rendered":"UN Chief Guterres urges ceasefire after US, Israel and Iran escalation"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 1 \u2014 United Nations Secretary General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities following a dramatic escalation of military confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran, warning that the world stands at a dangerous crossroads.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In an urgent appeal to the UN Security Council on Saturday, Guterres condemned the exchange of attacks, saying the use of force risks undermining global peace and security.<\/p>\n

\u201cI condemn today\u2019s military escalation in the Middle East. The use of force by the United States and Israel against Iran, and the subsequent retaliation by Iran across the region, undermine international peace and security,\u201d he said in an address to the Council in New York.<\/p>\n

The UN chief reminded all member states of their obligations under international law, particularly the UN Charter, which prohibits \u201cthe threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guterres structured his remarks around \u201cthe principles, the facts, and the way out,\u201d as tensions surged following large-scale military strikes involving the United States, Israel and Iran.<\/p>\n

Regional conflict <\/h2>\n

He called for urgent de-escalation to prevent a wider regional war.<\/p>\n

\u201cI call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation. Failing to do so risks a wider regional conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet us act responsibly and together to pull the region and our world back from the brink. Everything must be done to prevent a further escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He strongly encouraged all parties to return immediately to the negotiating table, reiterating that there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of disputes.<\/p>\n

\u201cLasting peace can only be achieved through peaceful means, including genuine dialogue and negotiations,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n

The escalation comes even as Iran confirmed the killing of its Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, during the first day of massive US and Israeli air strikes on Iranian targets.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump announced Khamenei\u2019s death, which was later confirmed by Iranian state television.<\/p>\n

Khamenei\u2019s death<\/h2>\n

Khamenei, 86, had ruled Iran for more than three decades, making him one of the world\u2019s longest-serving leaders. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has had only two supreme leaders.<\/p>\n

The position holds sweeping powers, with authority over the armed forces, including the elite Revolutionary Guards, and the ability to veto public policy decisions.<\/p>\n

His death marks a historic turning point for Iran and could reshape the political landscape of the region.<\/p>\n

Iran has launched retaliatory strikes across the region, including reported missile attacks targeting US military installations. <\/p>\n

Huge plumes of smoke were seen rising near the headquarters of the US Navy\u2019s Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain, though the extent of damage remains unclear.<\/p>\n

Qatar\u2019s defence ministry said it intercepted several missiles aimed at the al-Udeid air base, the largest American military installation in the region.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it was targeting U.S. bases and assets as part of \u201cOperation Truthful Promise 4,\u201d describing it as retaliation for the strikes launched earlier by US and Israeli forces.<\/p>\n

Air raid sirens were also heard across Israel following reports of incoming Iranian missile barrages.<\/p>\n

The United Arab Emirates confirmed that falling debris from intercepted missiles caused material damage in a residential area and resulted in the death of one civilian of Asian nationality.<\/p>\n

AU expresses concern<\/h2>\n

In Addis Ababa, the African Union Commission expressed grave concern over the escalating confrontation. <\/p>\n

The Chairperson of the Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, warned that the intensifying hostilities pose serious threats to global stability, with ripple effects on energy markets, food security and economic resilience, particularly in Africa.<\/p>\n

He urged restraint and renewed diplomatic engagement, including ongoing mediation efforts facilitated by Oman.<\/p>\n

\u201cSustainable peace can only be achieved through diplomacy, not through force,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The confrontation has already disrupted regional air travel, with several international airlines suspending operations amid airspace closures. Markets have shown signs of volatility as fears grow over oil supply disruptions and broader instability.<\/p>\n

Guterres reiterated that the UN Charter remains the foundation for maintaining international peace and security.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese actions carry the risk of igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region of the world,\u201d he warned.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 1 \u2014 United Nations Secretary General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities following a dramatic escalation of military confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran, warning that the world stands at a dangerous crossroads. In an urgent appeal to the UN Security Council on Saturday, Guterres condemned […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132648\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}