Middle East: UN, IAEA fear nuclear regime collapse post-US strikes
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of an "endless cycle of reprisals" following recent US attacks on Iran, which he believes mark a "dangerous turning point" in the region, AFP reports.
"I have repeatedly condemned any military escalation in the Middle East. The peoples of the region cannot bear another cycle of destruction. Nevertheless, we risk falling into an endless cycle of reprisal after reprisal," he stated at an emergency meeting of the Security Council, cited by Agerpres.
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, also expressed concern about the risk of "conflict expansion," calling for "maximum restraint."
"We have a window of opportunity to return to dialogue and diplomacy. If this window closes, violence and destruction could reach unimaginable levels, and the nuclear non-proliferation regime, as we know it, could be shattered," he declared in a video address to the Council.
Regarding the impact of the US strikes, he noted that "craters are visible at the Fordow site, the main location for 60% uranium enrichment in Iran, indicating that the United States used penetrating munitions."
"However, currently, no one, including the IAEA, is able to assess the underground damage at Fordow," he cautioned.
"Armed attacks against nuclear facilities should never happen," the UN chief insisted, expressing his concern about the risk of radioactive emissions.
Germany urges Iran to talk with US
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Sunday floated the idea of "regime change" in Iran, even as several senior officials in his administration emphasized that the American attacks on Iranian nuclear sites did not have that objective.
"It's not politically correct to use the term," Trump stated, "but if the current Iranian regime is incapable of making Iran great again, why shouldn't there be a regime change?" the US president said on his Truth Social platform.
Germany on Sunday urged Iran to resume talks with the United States following the US attacks on nuclear sites, which Berlin believes helped eliminate "a significant threat" and therefore are "good news for the Middle East."
"Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated his call for Iran to immediately begin negotiations with the United States and Israel to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict," a federal government statement said.
"No one wants the continuation of an armed conflict," said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on the ARD television channel, urging them "to seize this new opportunity" for "serious discussions to finally take place."
While Paris expressed "concern" about the American attacks, Berlin believed that "the Americans took on their responsibilities in the region" in the face of "a concrete threat," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.
"They are the only ones who can do that, and it must be said very clearly," he said on the same channel.
Western powers suspect Tehran is trying to acquire atomic weapons, which the Islamic Republic denies, defending its right to a civilian nuclear program.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
