UN Security Council urges dialogue, end to US-Iran tensions

The UN Security Council on Monday called for dialogue and measures to end tensions in the Gulf, but Iran rejected talks with the United States after President Donald Trump imposed fresh sanctions.

In a unanimous press statement drafted by Kuwait, the council condemned recent attacks on oil tankers, calling them a threat to the world's energy supply and to international peace and security.

After a two-hour meeting, the council agreed on a statement that did not single out Iran but made clear that all sides should back away from a much-feared military confrontation.

That joint stance from world powers came just hours after Trump slapped new sanctions on Iran, targeting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and eight Iranian commanders.

As the council met behind closed doors at Washington's request, Iran's UN ambassador told reporters that conditions were not ripe for dialogue with the United States.

"You cannot start a dialogue with somebody who is threatening you, who is intimidating you," said Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi, who said the "atmosphere of such a dialogue is not ready yet." The council said all concerned parties and all countries in the region must "exercise maximum restraint and take measures and actions to reduce escalation and tension." "Council members urge that differences must be addressed peacefully and through dialogue," said the statement backed by both Russia, a friend of Iran, and the United States.

Britain, France and Germany separately called for "de-escalation and dialogue, with full respect for international rules."