Unsplash/Oleg Illarionov Doha, capital of Qatar.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed deep alarm over the further escalation of conflict in the Middle East following Iran’s missile attack on a US military base in Qatar.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson on Monday, Guterres condemned the Iranian strike and reiterated his call for an immediate end to hostilities.
The missile attack reportedly came in retaliation for US airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. According to international reports, Iran fired seven missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts around 10,000 US troops. Qatari defence systems intercepted six of the missiles, with one landing near the base. No casualties have been reported so far.
The attack marks the latest escalation in a dangerous chain of events that began with intensifying missile exchanges between Iran and Israel and has now drawn in the United States.
“From the outset of the crisis, the Secretary-General has repeatedly condemned any military escalation, including today’s attack by Iran on the territory of Qatar,” the statement said.
Guterres also urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and called on UN Member States to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and international law.