Iran’s Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said UN Secretary-General António Guterres told him the 12-day war with Israel had ended efforts to topple the Islamic Republic, Iranian media reported on Thursday.
“The Secretary-General said the file of overthrowing the establishment was closed after the 12-day war,” Aref said, according to state media. He did not say when or where the meeting with António Guterres took place.
Aref’s comments appeared to refer to a meeting he held with Guterres in Turkmenistan in August.
When asked about Aref’s account on Thursday, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said he could not confirm that the Secretary-General had ever made such remarks. “I’m not able to confirm that the Secretary-General would ever have said that,” Dujarric told reporters. He referred journalists to the official readout issued on 5 August as an accurate description of what was said during the meeting.
During the 12-day war in June, Guterres wrote on X that he was “gravely alarmed” by the use of force by the United States against Iran, calling it a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to international peace and security. The conflict began with Israeli strikes that killed Iranian nuclear scientists along with hundreds of military personnel and civilians, and ended with US bombings of three key nuclear sites.
Aref’s remarks came days after US President Donald Trump warned Washington would bomb Iran again if it restarted its nuclear program. Speaking on Sunday at a ceremony marking the 250th anniversary of the US Navy in Virginia, Trump praised the June 22 airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites as “perfectly executed” and said Tehran had been within a month of producing a nuclear weapon.
“You want to do that, it’s fine, but we’re going to take care of that and we’re not going to wait so long,” Trump said. The operation, codenamed Midnight Hammer, hit facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan after an Israeli air campaign that began on June 13.
Iran says it does not seek confrontation but will respond if attacked. Aref said the 12-day conflict showed US forces could not achieve their objectives. “If they attack, they will be forced to beg for a ceasefire,” he said.
The comments follow the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran under the snapback mechanism after Britain, France and Germany moved to reimpose measures lifted by the 2015 nuclear deal. Trump, whose administration is pressing Tehran to halt uranium enrichment and curb its missile program, warned Washington would strike again if Iran resumes nuclear activity. “You want to do that, it’s fine, but we’re going to take care of that and we’re not going to wait so long,” he said on Sunday.
