Senior UN officials reiterated an appeal for urgent restraint on Saturday as conflict spiral between Israel and Iran, amid a wider regional crisis exacerbated by Israel's war in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian situation facing Palestinian civilians.
In a joint call to de-escalate, UN agencies have warned that further conflict risks triggering new displacement in a region already strained by decades of war and instability.
The UN refugee agency ( UNHCR ) noted military strikes have led people in both Iran and Israel to flee their homes in search of safety from tit-for-tat missile strikes.
"Movements have been reported from Tehran and other parts of Iran, with some choosing to cross into neighbouring countries," the agency stated. Meanwhile, "shelling has caused people in Israel to seek shelter elsewhere in the country and in some cases abroad."
"This region has already endured more than its share of war, loss, and displacement - we cannot allow another refugee crisis to take root," said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. "The time to de-escalate is right now. Once people are forced to flee, there's no quick way back - and all too often, the consequences last for generations."
UNHCR urged countries in the region to respect the right to seek asylum and ensure humanitarian access to those affected, while calling on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Nuclear risks rise as Iran facilities hit
The conflict escalated sharply following Israeli airstrikes on multiple Iranian nuclear-related sites in the past week, including a centrifuge manufacturing workshop in Esfahan, according to the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ).
"This is the third such facility that has been targeted over the past week," Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed, noting that the facility had been under IAEA surveillance as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - the nuclear deal signed with Iran in 2015, which the United States pulled out of in 2017.
"We know this facility well. There was no nuclear material at this site and therefore the attack on it will have no radiological consequences," he said. However, Mr. Grossi warned that continued strikes on nuclear infrastructure are severely undermining nuclear safety and security.
"Though they have not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public, there is a danger this could occur."
The IAEA has been tracking damage to sites in Esfahan, Arak, Karaj, Natanz and Tehran since the Israeli military campaign against Iran began on 13 June. T
he agency has been providing regular updates to the UN Security Council , which has yet to reach consensus on a response. On Friday, ambassadors debating the escalation heard during an emergency meeting in New York heard UN Secretary-General António Guterres warn that if fighting escalated it could "ignite a fire no one can control."
