New York: Senior UN officials have reiterated an urgent call for restraint as tensions between Israel and Iran escalate, intensifying the ongoing regional crisis marked by Israel’s war in Gaza and the deteriorating humanitarian situation affecting Palestinian civilians.
According to EMM, UN agencies have jointly warned that continued conflict may result in new displacements in an already war-torn region. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has reported that military strikes have prompted individuals in both Iran and Israel to flee their homes amid the ongoing missile exchanges. Movements have been observed from Tehran and other parts of Iran, with some residents crossing into neighboring countries. Concurrently, shelling has forced people in Israel to seek refuge within the country and, in some cases, abroad.
The conflict has heightened following Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear sites over the past week, including a centrifuge manufacturing workshop in Esfahan. The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported these incidents, with Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi confirming that this is the third facility attacked recently. The facility was under IAEA surveillance as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear deal signed with Iran in 2015, which the United States exited in 2017.
“There was no nuclear material at this site, so the attack will have no radiological consequences,” Grossi stated. Nevertheless, he cautioned that ongoing strikes on nuclear infrastructure threaten nuclear safety and security, with the potential for a dangerous radiological release.
The IAEA has been monitoring damage to sites in Esfahan, Arak, Karaj, Natanz, and Tehran since the Israeli military campaign against Iran commenced on June 13. The agency has been updating the UN Security Council, which has not yet reached a consensus on a response. During an emergency meeting on Friday in New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that escalating hostilities could “ignite a fire no one can control.”
The regional crisis is unfolding amid the war in Gaza, where humanitarian conditions are worsening. UNRWA Chief Philippe Lazzarini described life in Gaza as dire during a speech to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, emphasizing that two million people are being deprived of basic needs.
Lazzarini highlighted a territory ravaged by nearly two years of conflict and reported over 55,000 deaths, primarily women and children. Survivors are dealing with severe trauma and loss, he noted, while displacement and infrastructure destruction in the occupied West Bank are altering the demographic landscape, threatening the prospect of a Palestinian State under the UN-backed two-State solution.
Lazzarini warned that UNRWA itself is under threat, citing the deaths of at least 318 staff members in Gaza since the October 7 attacks on Israel, the expulsion of international staff, and disinformation campaigns hampering its funding. Despite these challenges, UNRWA continues to deliver critical services, but its financial situation is precarious, and additional funding is urgently needed to sustain operations.
He urged Member States to act swiftly, cautioning that a reduction in UNRWA’s services could exacerbate suffering and unrest in the region, which is already strained.