The UN Security Council on Monday called for dialogue andmeasures to end tensions in the Gulf, but Iran rejected talks with the UnitedStates after President Donald Trump imposed fresh sanctions.
In a unanimous press statement drafted by Kuwait, thecouncil condemned recent attacks on oil tankers, calling them a threat to theworld’s energy supply and to international peace and security.
After a two-hour meeting, the council agreed on a statementthat did not single out Iran but made clear that all sides should back awayfrom a much-feared military confrontation.
That joint stance from world powers came just hours afterTrump slapped new sanctions on Iran, targeting supreme leader Ayatollah AliKhamenei and eight Iranian commanders.
As the council met behind closed doors at Washington’srequest, Iran’s UN ambassador told reporters that conditions were not ripe fordialogue with the United States.
“You cannot start a dialogue with somebody who isthreatening you, who is intimidating you,” said Ambassador Majid TakhtRavanchi, who said the “atmosphere of such a dialogue is not readyyet.”
The council said all concerned parties and all countries inthe region must “exercise maximum restraint and take measures and actionsto reduce escalation and tension.”
“Council members urge that differences must beaddressed peacefully and through dialogue,” said the statement backed byboth Russia, a friend of Iran, and the United States.
Britain, France and Germany separately called for “de-escalationand dialogue, with full respect for international rules.”