Iran: UN urges ‘maximum restraint’ to avert more death, wider escalation

This article is published in association with United Nations.

As nationwide protests in Iran appear to ease after nearly three weeks of unrest and bloodshed, a senior UN official called on Thursday for action to prevent further escalation. 

Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee briefed an emergency meeting of the Security Council in New York called by the United States to address the crisis. 

Ms. Pobee described the situation in Iran as “fluid and deeply concerning”, noting that “protests continue, albeit reportedly at a smaller scale than last week.”  

Against military strikes 

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She voiced alarm, however, over public statements suggesting possible military strikes on the country. 

“This external dimension adds volatility to an already combustible situation. All efforts must be undertaken to prevent any further deterioration,” she said. 

Moreover, UN Secretary-General António Guterres “remains convinced that all concerns regarding Iran, including those related to the nuclear issue and ongoing protests, are best addressed through diplomacy and dialogue.” 

He also “urges maximum restraint at this sensitive moment and calls on all actors to refrain from any actions that could lead to further loss of life or ignite a wider regional escalation.” 

Largest protests in recent years 

The protests erupted on 28 December after shopkeepers in the Iranian capital Tehran took to the streets to rail against the collapse of the national currency, soaring inflation and worsening living conditions. 

Demonstrations quickly spread across the country, turning into mass anti-government protests – the largest since the movement sparked by the September 2022 death in custody of Kurdish woman Jina Amini who was arrested for allegedly violating hijab laws. 

Authorities imposed a near-total communications blackout that is still largely in place.  Hundreds and even possibly thousands of protestors and bystanders have been killed, and more than 18,000 people are estimated to be detained, though the UN has not been able to verify these figures. 

‘Terrorists’ and ‘rioters’ blamed 

“The Government of Iran has stated that it was compelled to act after what it deemed ‘organized terrorists’ and ‘rioters’ infiltrated the protests and opened fire on both security forces and demonstrators, aiming to provoke foreign military intervention,” said Ms. Pobee. 

“It has also blamed these elements for the killing of hundreds of civilians and members of the security forces.” 

In a recent statement, the UN Secretary-General expressed deep concern over the reported excessive use of force by the authorities and upheld the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.  

Civil society voices 

Iranian journalist and political dissident Masih Alinejad was one of two civil society representatives invited to brief the Council. 

“What is needed now to bring justice to those who order massacres in Iran is real and concrete action,” she said. 

Iranian-American human rights activist and journalist Ahmad Batebi spoke about how he was arrested for protesting while a student and sentenced to death. 

Mr. Batebi said that he was held in solitary confinement for two years, tortured, and forced to admit that he was a paid American spy. 

US warns of wider repercussions 

US Ambassador Mike Waltz stated that “the level of violence, the level of repression that the Iranian regime has unleashed on its own citizens…has repercussions for international peace and security.” 

The Iranian people “are demanding their freedom like never before in the Islamic Republic’s brutal history,” he said, and underscored that President Donald Trump and the United States “stands by the brave people of Iran”. 

He stressed that “the regime is solely responsible for the economic misery of the Iranian people and the repression of their freedom” and will be held accountable.

US ‘steering unrest’ in Iran, ambassador claims 

Iran’s Deputy Permanent Representative Gholamhossein Darzi began his remarks by denouncing the two civil society briefers, saying they “represent the political agenda of the United States and Israeli regimes.” 

Turning to the situation in Iran, the ambassador said that he was speaking on behalf of a “nation in mourning”. 

“It is deeply regrettable that the representative of the United States regime, which requested this meeting, has today resorted to lies, distortions of facts and deliberate disinformation to conceal his country’s direct involvement in steering unrest in Iran towards violence,” he said.