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MIDDLE EAST LIVE 2 April: Civilian impact deepens as UN chief says ‘we must find a peaceful way out’ before region is engulfed by war
MIDDLE EAST LIVE 2 April: Civilian impact deepens as UN chief says ‘we must find a peaceful way out’ before region is engulfed by war
Guterres warns of ‘wider war’ as Middle East conflict enters second month
Speaking to the press outside the Security Council in New York, the UN chief painted a grim picture of the rapidly deteriorating situation, as Israel and the US continue to bomb Iran while Tehran carries out attacks on neighbouring Gulf States and threatens ships it deems hostile against using the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
“Every day this war continues, human suffering grows. The scale of devastation grows. Indiscriminate attacks grow,” Mr. Guterres stated, noting that the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as general perils to the world economy – especially the most vulnerable societies which depend on energy imports – are mounting daily.
Danger of a world at war
He emphasised that the impacts of the crisis are no longer contained within the region, pointing specifically to the severe disruptions surrounding freedom of navigation.
“When the Strait of Hormuz is strangled, the world’s poorest and most vulnerable cannot breathe,” he warned.
He noted that the consequences are already visible “in the daily lives of people struggling with rising food and energy costs from the Philippines…to Sri Lanka…to Mozambique.”
Shuttle diplomacy
To curb this escalating trajectory, the Secretary-General announced he is dispatching his Personal Envoy, Jean Arnault, to the region to assist in ongoing peace initiatives.
“The spiral of death and destruction must stop,” he implored, urging that diplomatic efforts be given the space and support to succeed.
Mr. Guterres stressed that any resolution must be anchored firmly in international law and the UN Charter.
He called for disputes to be settled peacefully, for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all Member States to be respected, and for the protection of civilians and nuclear installations under threat in Iran and elsewhere as the war metastasizes.
Message to the US, Israel and Iran
Directly addressing the combatants, the Secretary-General declared: “To the United States and Israel, it is high time to stop the war that is inflicting immense human suffering and already triggering devastating economic consequences.”
Iran, he continued, must stop attacking its neighbours.
Reiterating that the Security Council has already condemned these attacks and reaffirmed the need to respect navigational rights in critical maritime routes, the UN chief reminded world leaders that the power to end the crisis lies in their hands.
“Conflicts do not end on their own,” Mr Guterres concluded. “They end when leaders choose dialogue over destruction. That choice still exists. And it must be made – now.”
Security Council: Gulf States decry Iranian attacks
The Middle East stands “at a dangerous precipice,” Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the Security Council, which met on Thursday morning to discuss boosting cooperation between the UN and Arab States in the Gulf.
He condemned the attacks by the US and Israel on Iran and cited the demand – outlined in last month’s Council resolution 2817 (2026) – for an immediate end to all attacks by Tehran against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim Albudaiwi, told ambassadors Iran had targeted vital civilian infrastructure, including airports, oil facilities, residential and commercial areas, fuel depots, service facilities and diplomatic missions.
“The GCC strongly condemns these blatant Iranian attacks, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of GCC States”, as well as the principle of good-neighbourly relations, international law and the UN Charter, he stressed.
“GCC States do not seek war,” he insisted. “They seek the peace, security and stability that all peoples deserve.”
Follow speaker-by-speaker coverage in-depth on our Meetings Coverage website here.
Syria needs in spotlight
Needs meanwhile in Syria, remain immense, particularly after the return of some 180,000 nationals since the Middle East war erupted, along with 25,000 Lebanese.
Highlighting needs in Damascus and beyond, the UN’s top aid official, Tom Fletcher, said that both Lebanese and Syrian families have been fleeing “with virtually nothing”.
He also insisted that Syrians “are rebuilding…reopening markets, restoring services”.
Mr. Fletcher said that the UN’s humanitarian teams were on hand and constantly adapting to help the many people whose lives had been uprooted by the violence.
Ahead of Syria, Mr. Fletcher spent two days witnessing the devastating impacts of the conflict in Lebanon, where more than one million people have been displaced in a matter of weeks, amid ongoing Israeli and Hezbollah clashes, leaving “lives upended” and critical infrastructure “shattered”.
EU vitamin capsules must protect public health, not worsen Europe’s deficiency crisis
ANH Europe warns that limits on vitamins and minerals that are too low could make it more difficult to combat widespread micronutrient deficiencies. AMSTERDAM, April 2, 2026 — As pressure increases on the European Commission to finally introduce harmonized maximum levels of vitamins and minerals in supplements […]
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
EU Vitamin Caps Must Protect Public Health—Not Deepen Europe’s Deficiency Crisis
ANH Europe warns that excessively low limits on vitamins and minerals could make widespread micronutrient shortfalls harder to address
AMSTERDAM, 2 April 2026 — As pressure grows on the European Commission to finally introduce harmonised maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements, Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) Europe is warning that badly designed rules could turn a safety exercise into a public health mistake.
The issue has been unresolved since the adoption of the Food Supplements Directive in 2002. But in December 2025, Germany—supported by a large group of Member States—urged the Commission to complete the process as a priority, with a view to setting maximum levels in 2026.
ANH Europe says the central question is not whether safety matters—it does—but whether regulators will adopt an excessively restrictive model that focuses narrowly on preventing high intake while failing to account for the very real health burden of low intake.
Across Europe, micronutrient insufficiency remains common. Vitamin D inadequacy is widespread, especially during winter months and in vulnerable groups. Iron deficiency remains a significant issue among women of reproductive age. Europe has also failed to adopt mandatory folic acid fortification, unlike some other jurisdictions that have seen major reductions in neural tube defects. Vitamin B12 deficiency, particularly among older adults and those following plant-based diets, remains another ongoing concern.
“Public health policy must protect people from both excess and inadequacy,” said Marga Verspagen, counsel and administrator for ANH Europe. “If maximum limits are set too low, they may restrict access to supplement levels that many people rely on to maintain or recover nutritional sufficiency. That would not be proportionate regulation—it would be regulatory harm.”
ANH Europe stresses that EU law already requires a broader approach than simply using upper safe levels as rigid caps. Under Article 5 of Directive 2002/46/EC, maximum amounts must take account of safe upper levels, intake from other dietary sources, and reference intakes for the population. In other words, the legal framework is intended to protect health in the round—not merely to avoid overdose.
The organisation is calling for a proportionate, science-based approach that reflects real-world nutritional need. This should include risk management that considers deficiency prevalence and public health impact, transparent pathways for higher-dose products where justified, and stronger nutrivigilance systems to ensure policy reflects actual outcomes rather than theoretical concerns alone.
As the EU moves closer to action, it must avoid the trap of regulating vitamins as if the only risk were excess,” added Nick van Ruiten, Director of ANH Europe. “The greater danger may be to make common deficiencies even harder to address.
Guterres warns of ‘wider war’ as Middle East conflict enters second month
Speaking to reporters outside the Security Council in New York, the UN chief painted a grim picture of the rapidly deteriorating situation, as Israel and the United States continue to bomb Iran while Tehran carries out attacks on neighboring Gulf states and threatens ships it […]
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
What awaits Kazakhstan after the adoption of a new constitution
Kazakhstan has taken an important step toward strengthening its capacity to operate effectively in a complex and rapidly changing domestic and international environment. In mid-March, citizens of Central Asia’s largest country voted in favor of a new constitution. 87% of voters voted for the main state document, […]
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MIDDLE EAST LIVE: Growing concerns over impact on civilians and energy
© Contributor Bomb damage in eastern Tehran, where Israeli and US strikes began on February 28, sparked a regional war that spread to Lebanon, with growing global economic consequences for developing and industrialized countries. Source: news.un.org
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
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Gaza: Commitment to US-backed plan crucial for recovery, Security Council says
The High Representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov – a former senior UN official in the region – was speaking at a meeting on the implementation of Council Resolution 2334 (2016) which demands that Israel immediately cease all settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory. It was held approximately four months after […]
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
