UN chief rejects any military justification for destroying civilian infrastructure

UN secretary-general António Guterres said on Tuesday evening that there is no military justification for destroying a society’s infrastructure or deliberately causing suffering to civilians.

In a post on the social media platform X, Guterres made the remarks as a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran was about to expire. Trump had threatened to destroy bridges and power stations if Tehran failed to respond to efforts to reach an agreement and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Guterres said: “There is no military objective that justifies the wholesale destruction of a society’s infrastructure or the deliberate infliction of suffering on civilian populations.” 

READ: Iran says Hormuz passage to resume under army supervision

“Conflicts end when leaders choose dialogue over destruction,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres stresses.

Later, as tensions rose over whether Trump would carry out his threat, the US president announced early on Wednesday that he had agreed to suspend strikes on Iran for two weeks. He said the pause was conditional on the immediate and full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, stating that it “will be a double-sided CEASEFIRE.”

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the decision came “Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan.”

He added: “The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Long-term PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East.”

READ: Pakistan blames Israel for ‘dangerous development’ amid facilitation of US-Iran talks