Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued the starkest warning yet to the regime in Tehran as the Biden administration tries to keep Tehran from joining the war between Israel and Hamas, saying the US would respond “decisively” if Iran or its proxies attack Americans.
“The United States does not seek conflict with Iran,” Blinken told a UN Security Council meeting Tuesday. “We do not want this war to widen. But if Iran or its proxies attack US personnel anywhere, make no mistake: We will defend our people, we will defend our security, swiftly and decisively.”
The Security Council met in New York on Tuesday for a scheduled quarterly open debate on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, now given greater urgency by the Hamas attacks of October 7and the deepening humanitarian crisis as the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip continues.
“The situation in the Middle East is growing more dire by the hour,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the Council. He added: “the war in Gaza is raging and risks spiraling throughout the region.”
Guterres said that he has condemned unequivocally the horrifying and unprecedented October 7 “acts of terror” by Hamas in Israel, but stressed that “nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians – or the launching of rockets against civilian targets.”
He also said that protecting civilians can never mean using them as human shields.
The UN chief called on making the delivery of aid easier and safer, and facilitating the release of hostages to ease epic suffering. “I reiterate my appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” he said.
“Even in this moment of grave and immediate danger, we cannot lose sight of the only realistic foundation for a true peace and stability: a two-State solution,” Guterres affirmed.
His comments were followed by those of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, who said it is critical that the international community employ all its collective efforts to end the bloodletting and prevent the further expansion of hostilities, including in the region. “The stakes are astronomically high, and I appeal for all relevant actors to act responsibly,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of Martin Griffiths, Lynn Hastings, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, urged all countries with influence to exert it and ensure respect for international humanitarian law.
She said civilians must have the essentials to survive. As such, the passage of rapid and unimpeded humanitarian relief must be facilitated, and water and electricity connections resumed, Hastings added.
For his part, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki stated that the Security Council and the international community has a duty and an obligation to save lives.
“Continued failure at this [Security] Council is inexcusable,” he stressed.
“By the time representatives are done delivering their speeches today, 150 Palestinians will have been killed, including 60 children,” he said, adding that, in the last two weeks, over 5,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 2,300 children and 1,300 women. “Almost all those killed by Israel are civilians,” Maliki underscored.
He said more injustice and more killing will not make Israel safer, adding that no amount of weapons and no alliance will bring to it security, but only peace with Palestine and its people will.
Maliki’s speech was directly followed by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who described the Hamas attack as the most brutal and vicious terror attack in modern history.
“Hamas are the new Nazis,” he said, and the civilized world must stand united behind Israel to defeat them.
Following a statement by Brazil’s Foreign Minister and President of the Council for October Mauro Vieira who said that achieving peace requires strict adherence to international law as well as working towards the two-State solution, the US Secretary of State again recognized the right of states to defend themselves against terrorism.
Also, Blinken said humanitarian pauses must be considered. “We continue to coordinate closely with Egypt, Israel, and partners across the region as well as with the United Nations to build mechanisms that will enable sustained humanitarian assistance to flow to civilians in Gaza without benefiting Hamas or any other terrorist group,” he said.
Blinken then called on all Council members to use their leverage to secure the release of the 200 hostages still in the grip of Hamas.
The US Secretary of State told the Security Council that he will work with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, to prevent the conflict in the Middle East from spreading when they meet later this week.
However, he warned that it would act swiftly and decisively if Tehran or its proxies attack US personnel anywhere.
“To all of the members of this council: If you, like the United States, want to prevent this conflict from spreading, tell Iran, tell its proxies – in public, in private, through every means – do not open another front against Israel in this conflict; do not attack Israel’s partners,” he added.
Finally, the US top diplomat said, “We all agree that we must redouble our collective efforts to build an enduring political solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.”
Blinken’s French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, said, “It is our duty to pave the way to peace."
She added that the only viable solution is the two-State solution. “We need to do all we can. This Council must act and it must act now.”
Colonna affirmed her country’s solidarity with Israel and underscored its right to defend itself and protect its people, while noting that Israel must do so while respecting international law, in particular international humanitarian law.
Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly will meet on Thursday to discuss the war in Gaza, its president announced Monday in a letter to member states.
Jordan on behalf of the Arab grouping, Russia, Syria, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia, formally requested General Assembly President Dennis Francis to schedule the meeting.
