United Nations, June 20: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for investment in development to prevent conflict.

Prevention is the best cure for instability and conflict. And there is no better preventive measure than investing in development, he told a Security Council open debate on poverty, underdevelopment and conflict.

“Peace is not built in conference rooms. Peace is built in classrooms, in clinics, in communities. Peace is built when people have hope, opportunity and a stake in their future,” he said on Thursday. “Investing in development today means investing in a more peaceful tomorrow.”

He warned that the world is losing ground in this respect, Xinhua news agency reported.

“After decades of steady progress, we’re facing a development emergency. Ten years after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, two-thirds of the targets are lagging,” said Guterres. “And developing countries are being battered and bruised by limited fiscal space, crushing debt burdens and skyrocketing prices.”

The engine of development is sputtering, he said. “We must renew domestic and global commitments to get public and private finance flowing to the areas of greatest need. We need to provide urgent debt relief for countries drowning in unsustainable debt service. And we must reform the global financial architecture to reflect today’s realities and the urgent needs of developing countries.”

The UN chief voiced concern over the vicious cycle of conflict and poverty.

The flames of conflict are too often lit and fed by persistent poverty and growing inequalities, he said. “Time and again, we’ve seen conflict engulfing lives and institutions, wiping out development gains, and uprooting millions of people. At the same time, we’ve seen how poverty, underdevelopment, inequality, injustice, hunger and exclusion can light the fuse of instability and conflict.”

It is no coincidence that nine of the 10 countries with the lowest Human Development Indicators are currently in a state of conflict. Forty per cent of the 700 million people living in extreme poverty live in conflict-affected or fragile settings. And the situation is only getting worse, he said.

Solutions are in short supply because of rampant geopolitical mistrust and divisions. The global economy is slowing, trade tensions are rising and aid budgets are being slashed while military spending soars. If current trends continue, two-thirds of the world’s poor will live in conflict-affected or fragile countries by 2030, warned Guterres.

The message is clear. The farther a country is from sustainable and inclusive development, the closer it is to instability, and even conflict, he said. “Let’s re-commit to the solidarity and multilateral spirit that has defined our organization across eight decades. And let’s ensure that the dividends of peace, prosperity and security are shared by all.”

New York, June 20: US President Donald Trump will make a decision on whether he will order a strike against Iran in the next two weeks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing.

“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiation that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go in the next two weeks,” Leavitt read a statement on Thursday, from Trump who responded to speculation about whether the United States would directly get involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel.

Iran must agree to no enrichment of uranium, and Tehran must not be able to achieve a nuclear weapon as part of any diplomatic agreement, Leavitt said.

Correspondence between the United States and Iran “has continued” as the two sides engage in negotiations, Leavitt said, echoing earlier Thursday reports that US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have talked by phone several times since Israel began its strikes on Iran on Jun 13, in a bid to find a diplomatic end to the crisis, media reported.

The talks included a brief discussion of a US proposal for Iran aiming to create a regional consortium that would enrich uranium outside of Iran, which Tehran has so far rejected, local media quoted three diplomats as saying on the condition of anonymity.

Araghchi told Witkoff that Tehran “could show flexibility in the nuclear issue” if the US government pressured Israel to end the war, adding Tehran would not return to negotiations unless Israel stopped the attacks, local media quoted a regional diplomat.

Trump approved attack plans on Iran on Tuesday night, but held off making a final decision in case Iran agrees to abandon its nuclear program, media reported.

Trump has met with his national security team in the Situation Room each day since Tuesday.

Seoul, June 19: Twenty South Korean nationals and their family members have evacuated Iran via a land route and arrived safely in Turkmenistan amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, the foreign ministry said.

Eighteen South Koreans and two Iranian family members crossed the border into the Central Asian country by transportation provided by the South Korean government Tuesday morning (local time) and arrived in the capital, Ashgabat, the next day, the ministry said.

The eastern border land route chosen by the government is about 1,200 kilometres, and it takes around 16 hours to travel by bus without breaks, a ministry official said.

A rapid response team from Seoul was in Turkmenistan to assist with the evacuation efforts.

About 110 South Koreans had been estimated to be in Iran as of last Friday, when the Israelis initiated an attack on Iranian nuclear and military facilities.

The official also indicated that preparations are underway for an additional evacuation.

The government has been weighing options to ensure the safety of South Korean nationals in the Middle East, amid the escalating tensions following massive airstrikes between Israel and Iran.

“Given the continued exchange of military strikes between the two sides this week, growing concerns over the safety of our citizens, and the ongoing closure of Iranian airspace, we have decided to assist our nationals in evacuating Iran via land routes,” the ministry said.

The operation comes as countries are closing their embassies and evacuating their citizens from the region, either to return home or relocate to nearby nations, media reported.

The South Korean government has also provided transportation and assistance to 23 South Korean nationals to leave Israel via a land route to Jordan.

Earlier in the day, an Iranian ballistic missile struck Soroka Hospital in Israel’s Beersheba, seriously injuring several patients, doctors, and staff as the conflict entered its seventh day.

“Soroka Hospital in Beersheba — where Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Arab Bedouin receive care — was just hit by an indiscriminate Iranian ballistic missile. Israel will continue to do what must be done to protect all its people, from all walks of life,” the Israel Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.

According to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), Iran fired around 30 ballistic missiles at Israel on Thursday, and one of them struck the hospital in Beersheba.