United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the world's leading powers are discovering the limits of their own strength, pointing to prolonged conflicts in Ukraine and Iran as evidence that swift military victories have proved elusive.
Guterres cited Russia's expectation that its invasion of Ukraine would last only days and Washington's assumption that Tehran would capitulate after a February strike. Six months later, the Iranian regime still resists and has closed the Strait of Hormuz. The Security Council, he said, remains virtually paralysed by US and Russian vetoes, and the UN has been relegated to a secondary role in Sudan's civil war.
Describing a prevailing sense of impunity, Guterres said his office carries a voice but lacks real power. He also warned of the dangers of a multipolar world and called the presence of three European permanent members on the Security Council unsustainable.