UN Chief Backs Iran Diplomacy as Guterres Meets Araghchi
The UN secretary-general voiced support for diplomatic efforts to end the Iran conflict and met Iran's foreign minister, his spokesperson said.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed support for diplomatic efforts by all parties aimed at ending the conflict in Iran on the basis of international law and the UN Charter, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.
Dujarric said Guterres met Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Monday afternoon, following the secretary-general's meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian the previous week. He described the engagement as part of Guterres's continuing diplomatic outreach, intended to back the mediation currently under way and to assist those working to bring the conflict to a close.
"Diplomacy takes time. It takes patience. It requires political courage more than testosterone," Dujarric said. He added that the secretary-general appreciates the diplomatic efforts seen on the sidelines of the General Assembly, including those directed at ending the conflict in Iran, noting that thousands of bilateral meetings and discussions had taken place.
"Diplomacy is a process. We want to see an end to these conflicts, based on international law, based on the Charter, and we will continue to push for that," he said.
The conflict traces back to Feb 28, when Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
On June 18, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on ending the war in the region on all fronts, including Lebanon. Under the MoU, negotiations were to be held within 60 days, a period that ended on Aug 17, to reach a final agreement. The fate of those talks remains unclear following a series of recent escalations between the two countries.