Guterres expresses to Iranian foreign minister his “deep concern” over tensions in the Middle East

Aug. 2 (EUROPA PRESS) –

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has held a telephone call with Iran’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri, to whom he expressed his “deep concern” over the current tensions in the Middle East following the death of the leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in an attack in Tehran attributed to Israel.

“During the conversation, the Secretary-General expressed his deep concern about the current situation in the region. He reiterated his public message urging all parties to work towards de-escalation,” the Secretary-General’s spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said during a press briefing.

He also expressed his hope that UN staff detained by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, be “released as soon as possible”.

For his part, Bagheri informed Guterres that they will not give up “their inherent right to self-defense and to take reciprocal action to punish Zionist criminals,” to which the secretary general responded that “under international law,” Tehran has “the right to legitimate defense in response to violations of its national security and territorial integrity,” according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

“This aggressive act by the Zionist regime will endanger regional peace and stability, and the international community must oppose this criminal regime in order to preserve international peace and stability,” the Iranian diplomat added, criticising the refusal of the United States and European countries to condemn this attack at the UN Security Council.

Guterres also recalled his condemnation of the attacks in Beirut (which left seven dead, including the military chief of the Lebanese Shiite militia party Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr) and the one in Tehran, in which Haniyeh’s bodyguard also died.