Asia

Asia

UN Security Council meets on Iran as Russia, China push for a ceasefire

23 June 2025 01:43 (UTC +04:00)

The U.N. Security Council met on Sunday to discuss U.S. 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, APA reports citing Reuters.

"The bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States marks a perilous turn," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Sunday. "We must act – immediately and decisively – to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iran nuclear programme."

The world awaited Iran's response on Sunday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. had "obliterated" Tehran's key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.

Russia and China condemned the U.S. strikes.

"Peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved by the use of force," said China's U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong. "Diplomatic means to address the Iranian nuclear issue haven't been exhausted, and there's still hope for a peaceful solution."

But acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea told the council the time had come for Washington to act decisively, urging the Security Council to call upon Iran to end its effort to eradicate Israel and terminate its drive for nuclear weapons.

"Iran long obfuscated its nuclear weapons program and stonewalled our good-faith efforts in recent negotiations," she said. "The Iranian regime cannot have a nuclear weapon."