UN chief urges Int'l community to act swiftly to de-escalate

NEW YORK, June 22 (KUNA) -- Speaking at a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting convened on Sunday at Iran's request, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the international community to act swiftly to de-escalate tensions.
"As I just told the Security Council, we must act immediately and decisively to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iran nuclear program," Guterres said post the meeting following the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.
The UN chief underlined the importance of reaching a concrete and comprehensive solution, adding, "the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States marks a perilous turn in a region that is already reeling," he says. "We now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation." The UNSC session was scheduled in response to Operation Midnight Hammer, the US aerial strike that hit Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, raising fears of retaliation and broader regional instability including the closure of Iran's crucial Strait of Hormuz. (end) ast.mb