UN Urges Iran, Israel to Respect Ceasefire as Tensions Simmer

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the ceasefire declared between Iran and Israel, calling on both nations to fully respect the truce following days of deadly escalation.

Guterres issued the appeal in a post on social media on Tuesday, emphasizing the urgent need to halt hostilities. “The fighting must stop. The people of the two countries have already suffered too much,” he wrote. He added that he hoped the ceasefire could serve as a model for ending other conflicts in the region.

The call came after a brief lull in hostilities early Tuesday, although reports of renewed Iranian missile strikes on Israel—disputed by Tehran—threatened the fragile ceasefire brokered by the United States.

In a related development, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, urged Iran to resume cooperation with the global nuclear watchdog, calling it essential for reaching a new nuclear agreement.

“Resuming cooperation with the IAEA is key to a successful agreement,” Grossi said, adding that he had offered to meet Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to explore ways of rebuilding trust and resolving nuclear tensions diplomatically.

The conflict, which erupted on June 13 following Israeli airstrikes, escalated over the weekend with U.S. forces targeting Iranian nuclear sites. Iran responded with missile attacks, some of which struck Israeli territory.

Iranian authorities on Tuesday released an updated casualty toll, reporting 610 deaths—among them 49 women, 13 children, two pregnant women, and an infant—alongside 4,746 injured. Damage was also reported to health infrastructure, including seven hospitals, four health units, six emergency bases, and nine ambulances.

In Israel, at least 30 people have been confirmed dead from Iranian strikes, with 28 of them civilians, according to reports.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, en route to a NATO summit in the Netherlands, also weighed in, expressing frustration over repeated violations of the ceasefire and urging both sides to honor the agreement to prevent further bloodshed.