UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that tensions in the Persian Gulf have escalated to dangerous levels and warned against any miscalculations that could result in war
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th January, 2020) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that tensions in the Persian Gulf have escalated to dangerous levels and warned against any miscalculations that could result in war.
"Geopolitical tensions have reached dangerous levels most recently in the Gulf," Guterres said during a Security Council meeting on international peace and security and the UN Charter. "War is never inevitable; it is a matter of choice - and often it is the product of easy miscalculations."
On Wednesday, Iran launched a missile attack against two military bases in Iraq housing US troops in response to the United States' assassinating top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani. No casualties were reported as a result of the missile attack.
Guterres said the international community is facing rising turbulence while trust among nations is on the decline as are the principles of international cooperation and multilateralism.
"It poses a challenge for the Security Council, which under the Charter has Primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security," Guterres said.
The UN chief also called on the UN Security Council to better utilize the powers granted by the Charter to implement its decisions, resolve disputes through the International Court of Justice and adapt to new realities.
"We must return to the framework that has kept us together. We must come home to the UN Charter," Guterres said.
The UN Charter compels us to do everything in our power to save people from the scourge of war and injustice, he added.
