The rotating president of the UN Security Council calls for de-escalation and a resumption of Iran and US talks

Christina Markus Lassen, Denmark's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, who holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for August, called on Monday, 3 August 2026 (12 Mordad 1405), for de-escalation and a resumption of diplomatic talks between Iran and the United States, speaking to reporters at the UN.

She said conditions are constantly changing and that there had been considerable concern over renewed escalation during the past two weeks, but that reports of continuing talks had been heard in recent days. Lassen added that consultations among countries in the region are also under way, and stressed that the crisis should be managed through diplomacy.

The Security Council president also announced that the Council will hold a second informal straw poll on 21 August 2026 (30 Mordad 1405) to select the next UN Secretary General. Antonio Guterres's ten year tenure ends at the close of this calendar year, and in the first informal poll held last week, Rebeca Grynspan, a former vice president of Costa Rica, led the field by a narrow margin. The diplomatic track between Iran and the United States is one of the main variables bearing on Iran's currency and gold markets.