Sheinbaum Says 'The UN Has Stopped Fulfilling Its Role' Amid Iran Conflict: 'Countries With Greater Military Power Prevail'

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that the United Nations "has stopped fulfilling its role" in resolving international conflicts, arguing that in the current geopolitical climate "countries with greater military power prevail" as tensions escalate in the Middle East.

Speaking about the U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran, Sheinbaum criticized what she described as a weakening of multilateral diplomacy:

"The UN has stopped fulfilling its role, frankly. Countries with greater military power prevail, and that cannot be. After the Second World War, the goal was to guarantee a space where every nation had equal representation. There have been problems since then, but today we are living in a situation where the UN has increasingly lost strength"

Sheinbaum called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and defended the principle of self-determination, arguing that civilian populations ultimately bear the consequences of war. "In the end, it is not a matter of whether one agrees with one regime or another. Those who pay are the civilian populations," she said, referencing reports of bombings affecting noncombatants.

"If there are human rights violations in a country, it is within the multilateral framework where the solution must be found, not through invasions or wars." She also noted that no country involved in the Iran conflict has formally requested mediation, but said Mexico "is always willing to help," depending on the circumstances.

This is not the first time Sheinbaum has questioned the effectiveness of international institutions. In late December, amid tensions between the United States and Venezuela, she urged the UN to take a "much more leading role" and said Mexico "doesn't agree with interventions and less so military ones," calling dialogue and peace the appropriate path regardless of opinions about Nicolás Maduro's government.

Three days after those remarks, U.S. forces captured Maduro in a military operation, underscoring the limited influence of multilateral mechanisms in that case.

On Monday, Sheinbaum reiterated that the UN "has lost more and more strength" and argued that multilateral diplomatic policy must be recovered, describing the current situation as "sad, to say the least."