New York, USA – The corridors of the UN Security Council witnessed intense diplomatic activity on Monday as efforts focused on ending the escalating conflict in the Middle East. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called on the Iranian regime to be prepared to make “significant concessions” in the upcoming talks with the United States, asserting that this is the only path to a comprehensive and lasting political settlement.
Barrow: There is no solution without a radical shift in Tehran’s position.
In his address to the Council, Barrot emphasized that “there can be no lasting solution to this crisis unless the Iranian regime agrees to make substantial concessions and fundamentally shift its regional stance.”
The French minister indicated that Tehran must chart a new course that guarantees “peaceful coexistence” within its region. This path would also allow the Iranian people to freely build their future, free from policies of confrontation.
In a double critique, the French minister did not hesitate to criticize the United States and Israel, arguing that they had launched a war on Iran “without a clearly defined objective and outside the framework of international law.”
Nevertheless, Barrault placed the lion’s share of the blame for the current situation on the Iranian regime, attributing it to the continuation of its nuclear and missile programs, which are a source of widespread international concern.
International call to open the Strait of Hormuz
These statements were made during a special session convened by the Kingdom of Bahrain. Dozens of countries issued a unified and urgent appeal to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international navigation. They also warned of the catastrophic consequences of its continued closure on global energy security and the economy.
Tehran stipulates: Gulf security in exchange for guarantees
In response, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Irvani, asserted that stability in the Gulf region hinges on concrete international guarantees.
Irvani stated, “Lasting security in the region can only be achieved through a permanent cessation of aggression against Iran, backed by credible guarantees that American and Israeli attacks will not be repeated.”
The Iranian ambassador stressed that Tehran would not accept any settlement that did not guarantee full respect for its legitimate sovereign rights and interests. He placed the onus on the international community to provide the necessary commitments to prevent a recurrence of military operations against Iranian territory as a precondition for any regional de-escalation.
