ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on Iran to play a “constructive” role in Gaza-related tensions in the Middle East.
“I think it’s very important that Iran plays a constructive role, doing everything Iran can to avoid the multiplication of these incidents, Guteress told Rudaw’s Sinan Tuncdemir during a press briefing on Thursday when asked what can UN do to prevent further escalations in the region and his message for Tehran.
Hamas fighters carried out cross-border attacks against Israel on October 7, killing over 1,000 people, including civilians. Tel Aviv launched retaliatory attacks and declared war on the Palestinian group days later. The ongoing conflict in Gaza Strip has sparked unrest in other parts of the Middle East, including Iraq. Washington has blamed Tehran for the escalations.
Over 27,000 people have been killed due to Israeli attacks on Gaza since October, according to local health authorities.
US troops have been targeted by pro-Iran militia groups over 165 times since mid-October. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of scores of militia groups aligned with Tehran, have claimed most of the attacks. In response, Washington has carried out several retaliatory strikes against them in Syria and Iraq. Three US soldiers were killed when these groups hit American forces in Jordan earlier this month.
“And I think it is also very important that we do what is being done by the UN and by others, in particular in relation to Lebanon to create the conditions for a negotiation aiming at the de-escalation and the stabilization of the border,” stressed the UN chief.
“Negotiations are possible. I think this is achievable, and I hope that we avoid the worst. Libya and Syria and Iraq are areas where we have less capacity to be active. On the other hand, we hope that there is also a clear de-escalation in relation to the Red Sea and we believe it’s absolutely essential to re-establish the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,” he added.
