UN chief Guterres appeals for calm in US-Iran standoff
The UN on Monday urged the U.S. and Iran to de-escalate tensions as the rivals continue to engage in tit-for-tat recriminations.
- World
- Compiled from wire services
- Published Date: 10:49 | 20 May 2019
- Modified Date: 10:49 | 20 May 2019
The U.N. says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is asking all parties involved in escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran "to lower the rhetoric and lower the threshold of action as well."
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric reiterated to reporters Monday that "we are concerned about the rising rhetoric."
He said the secretary-general is also concerned at the rocket launch that seemed to be aimed toward the U.S. Embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
Dujarrics said: "It is a very volatile region. Any developments, whether they are actions on the ground or whether they are rhetoric, can always be misinterpreted and can only heighten the risk of a volatile region becoming even more volatile."