The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has stated there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that both Israel and Iran may have committed war crimes following recent strikes on energy facilities. Speaking to Politico ahead of a European Council summit in Brussels, Guterres said attacks on energy infrastructure “might constitute a war crime” after both sides traded strikes on oil and gas facilities.
His comments come after intensified airstrikes and retaliatory attacks on energy facilities around the Gulf this week. On Wednesday, Israel struck Iran’s South Pars natural gas field, which supplies 75 per cent of Iran’s gas and is vital for its electricity generation. In response, Tehran launched retaliatory strikes on Qatar’s Ras Laffan plant, the world’s largest LNG export hub.
Guterres also highlighted the growing number of civilian casualties, saying both sides are open to possible war crime charges. “I don't see any difference. It doesn't matter who targets civilians. It is totally unacceptable,” he added.
Hostilities began on 28 February when the US and Israel launched an air campaign against Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Tehran retaliated with ballistic missiles and drones across the Middle East. Guterres implied Israel was perpetuating the conflict and called on US President Donald Trump to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under indictment for war crimes related to the Gaza conflict, to end the war.
“The war needs to stop…and I believe that it is in the hands of the US to make it stop,” Guterres said. He added that Israel wants to destroy Iran’s military capacity and achieve regime change, while Iran aims to resist and cause maximum harm. He believes the US must decide to claim its job is done to resolve the crisis.
