Key points
- UN nuclear watchdog chief says underground damage at Fordow unknown
- UN chief says US bombing marks a perilous turn
- US likely to oppose draft condemning strikes on Iran nuclear facilities
ISLAMABAD: The UN Security Council met on Sunday to discuss US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed the 15-member body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East.
“The bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States marks a perilous turn,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Sunday, according to Reuters.
“Armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place & could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences.”
We face a stark choice amid the escalation in the Middle East.
One way leads to wider war, deeper suffering & serious damage to the international order.
The other leads to de-escalation, diplomacy & dialogue.
We know which way is right.
We cannot & must not give up on peace. pic.twitter.com/kBt1DLQjLG
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) June 22, 2025
“We must act – immediately and decisively – to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iran nuclear programme.”
“The people of the region cannot endure another cycle of destruction. And yet, we now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation.”
“Potential widening”
Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also called for restraint as he voiced fears over “potential widening” of the conflict.
“We have a window of opportunity to return to dialogue and diplomacy. If that window closes, violence and destruction could reach unthinkable levels and the global non-proliferation regime as we know it could crumble and fall,” Grossi said.
– @iaeaorg chief @rafaelmgrossi tells Security Council, repeating call for maximum restraint amid escalation in the Middle East.https://t.co/bIacyFmHDE pic.twitter.com/wGdNiHelok
— United Nations (@UN) June 22, 2025
Speaking to the Security Council by video link, he said there were visible craters at Iran’s key Fordo nuclear facility, “indicating the use by the United States of America of ground-penetrating munitions.”
But Grossi noted that no one had been able to assess the underground damage at Fordo, AFP reported.
He added that “armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked.”
“Immediate ceasefire”
On Sunday, Russia, China and Pakistan circulated a draft resolution with other Security Council members that calls for an “immediate ceasefire” in Iran.
The text, seen by AFP, also “condemns in the strongest terms the attacks against peaceful nuclear sites and facilities.”
But the Council is very much divided, with other members such as France and Britain instead calling for Iran to exercise restraint, the French news agency said.
Israel’s UN ambassador, meanwhile, rejected the proposed resolution.
“The US and Israel do not deserve any condemnation, but rather an expression of appreciation and gratitude for making the world a safer place,” Danny Danon said.
Absurd pretext
Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s envoy to the UN, slammed the United States for having “once again resorted to illegal force.”
Washington, he said, has “waged a war against my country, under a fabricated and absurd pretext: preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”
