US and Iran resume strikes, sparking alarm

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed for maximum restraint after the US and Iran resumed strikes in recent days, leaving 18 dead and over 140 injured in Iran, with the casualties including women and children.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Guterres said the conflicts in the Middle East have had "far-reaching effects".

"Agreements and ceasefires are constantly violated, and strikes continue. I appeal for maximum restraint and for agreements and international law to be respected," he said. "More than ever, we need negotiations toward a just, lasting peace in line with international law, including the UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions."

Hossein Kermanpour, head of Iran's public relations and information center at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said 142 people were injured and 18 others were killed in new US attacks on Iran. Among the injured, 61 were women and 44 were under 18 years old, and among the "martyrs", two were women and one child.

"Behind every number stands a human being and a family," he said, adding that protecting civilians "is an obligation under international law".

In a letter dated Wednesday, Iran's deputy permanent representative to the UN, Gholamhossein Darzi, condemned a deadly US strike on a home in Hormozgan Province during a wedding ceremony on Tuesday and called it a blatant "war crime".

"The deliberate or indiscriminate killing of civilians, particularly children, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure strike at the very foundations of the international legal order," he said.

The US, as well as any state or other party that "assists, facilitates, supports or participates in the preparation, commission or implementation of such violations, and other unlawful acts, will bear responsibility for the grave consequences of such internationally wrongful acts", including the extensive loss and damage inflicted upon the Iranian people, he added.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the renewed strikes against Iran would not continue for "too long".

He also toyed with the idea of renaming the Strait of Hormuz as "Trump Strait" in a social media post.

However, the post drew criticism from US Senator Bernie Sanders, who told Trump that "the American people don't want you to rename the Strait of Hormuz after yourself".

"They want you to end your illegal war in Iran that has raised diesel prices to $5.69 a gallon and gas prices to $4.12 a gallon," Sanders said.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry condemned Iran's alleged targeting of a Saudi tanker while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which resulted in fatalities among the crew.

It has widely been reported that two Filipino sailors were killed during the attack.

The ministry also condemned purported Iranian attacks on Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait.

"The Kingdom stresses the need to halt escalation and respect the security and safety of international navigation, the security of global energy supplies, the principles of good neighborliness, the sovereignty of states, the Charter of the United Nations, and international law and norms," it said, appealing to all parties to halt escalation and return to negotiations.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday that it had targeted US military assets in the region in retaliation for renewed US attacks on Iran.

Meanwhile, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Affairs Authority said it updated the list of violating vessels on its website.

It said vessels violating Iranian protocols on the Strait of Hormuz "shall face restrictions on future passages, including fines, detention and confiscation".

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com