New York, 18 April 2024
[as delivered]
Mr. President, Excellencies,
The Middle East is on a precipice.
Recent days have seen a perilous escalation – in words and deeds.
One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable – a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved – and for the rest of the world.
This moment of maximum peril must be a time for maximum restraint.