​​​​​​HAMILTON, Canada

A senior UN official on Tuesday noted that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran is a chance to prevent further conflict and resolve concerns about Iran's nuclear program through peaceful means.

"At the heart of this conflict is the nature of Iran's nuclear program," UN Political Affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo said at a Security Council meeting.

"Following the deadly clashes of the past 12 days, the ceasefire agreement is an opportunity to avoid a catastrophic escalation and achieve a peaceful resolution of the Iran nuclear issue," she said.

Saying efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), have faced persistent challenges, DiCarlo said: "The JCPOA has faced many challenges since its inception, including the withdrawal of the US from the agreement in 2018 and Iran's withdrawal from some of its commitments as outlined in the plan."

She added that "Iran and the US engaged in five rounds of bilateral talks, facilitated by Oman. Regrettably, neither of these initiatives produced a way forward to ensuring the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program."

DiCarlo said the situation has deteriorated following "the military escalation between Israel and Iran since 13 June and United States airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities on 21 June."

She also cited "Iran's strikes yesterday on a base in Qatar, an action which the secretary-general (Antonio Guterres) condemned," as deepening regional instability.

"Diplomacy, dialogue and verification remain the best option to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program and to bring about concrete economic benefits to the people of Iran," she stressed.

The UN, she added, "stands ready to support all efforts that advance peace, dialogue and stability in the region."

Tehran and Washington held five rounds of Oman-mediated talks on Iran’s nuclear program. A sixth round was scheduled June 16, but was called off after Israel attacked Iran.

Israel launched airstrikes on several sites across Iran beginning June 13, including military and nuclear facilities, alleging that Tehran was on the verge of producing a nuclear bomb -- a claim vehemently denied by Iran.

While Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes, the US joined the conflict by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday.

After 12 days of combat between the two regional arch-foes, US President Donald Trump announced overnight a ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end the conflict.