UN chief, member states call for immediate Israel-Iran ceasefire

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi, and many other representatives of member states called for diplomatic solutions to prevent the Israeli-Iranian conflict from spiraling out of control at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council held on Friday.

Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani stated that Israel's actions constitute war crimes. He called on both the UN Security Council and the IAEA to take action, while emphasizing that any U.S. participation in such attacks would violate the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

"Israeli openly declared that it will continue this strike for as many days as it takes. We are alarmed by credible report that the United States, as a depositary of NPT, may be joining this war. Any such support violates the NPT and undermines global security," said Iravani.

Danny Danon, Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations, said that Israel will continue its strikes on Iran.

"We will not stop, not until Iranian nuclear threat is dismantled, not until its war machine is disarmed, not until our people and yours are safe," he said.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi warned of the risk of nuclear contamination from Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Attacks on nuclear sites in Iran have caused a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security in the country. Though they have not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public, there is a danger this could occur, said Grossi.

Armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place, he said, calling for maximum restraint.

"The IAEA has consistently underlined, as stated in its General Conference resolutions, that armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with great consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the state which has been attacked. I therefore again call on maximum restraint," said Grossi.

Calling for diplomacy to prevent the Israeli-Iranian conflict from spiraling out of control, Guterres described the situation as a defining moment for humanity.

"We are not drifting toward crisis. We are racing toward it. We are not witnessing isolated incidents. We are on course to potential chaos. The expansion of this conflict could ignite a fire that no one can control. We must not let that happen," said the UN chief.

Representatives from multiple other countries echoed the UN chief's remarks, calling on Israel and Iran to immediately cease fire and halt hostilities, while emphasizing the need to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomatic efforts.

UN chief, member states call for immediate Israel-Iran ceasefire

UN chief, member states call for immediate Israel-Iran ceasefire

UN chief, member states call for immediate Israel-Iran ceasefire

UN chief, member states call for immediate Israel-Iran ceasefire

From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.

At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.

Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.

"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.

"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.

Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.

According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.

Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.

Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.

At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.

"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.

At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.

"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.

Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction