Military strikes on Iran by Israel and the United States, and Iran's counter attacks on United States army bases in Gulf countries, threatened to ignite a wider war in the Middle East, delegates told an emergency meeting of the Security Council today, as the parties traded claims of unjustified action.
The United States intends to ensure that Iran "never ever can threaten the world with a nuclear weapon", the former's delegate said, accusing Iran of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump.
In turn, Iran's delegate countered that the attacks on his country - including one on a school that killed more than 85 children - are a war crime. Iran will exercise its right of self-defence, he said, and regards all bases, facilities and assets of the hostile forces in the region as "legitimate military objectives".
Israel's delegate meanwhile accused Tehran of brutally murdering its own citizens, crushing dissent, supporting armed proxies across the region and openly declaring its intention to wipe his country off the map. Now, he said, it is facing the consequences of those actions.
Opportunity for Diplomacy 'Squandered'
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres - who earlier in the day condemned the strikes and counter strikes - urged all parties to return immediately to the negotiating table. The attacks on Iran occurred following the third round of indirect talks between the Tehran and Washington D.C., mediated by Oman, and as preparations were underway for more talks in Vienna. "I deeply regret that this opportunity of diplomacy has been squandered," he said.
"Here is what we know," he said: About 20 cities across Iran were reportedly attacked and several high-ranking Iranian officials were reportedly killed. According to Israeli sources, Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed - but Mr. Guterres clarified that he was not in a position to confirm this.
According to Iranian media, he said, an air strike killed at least 85 people and injured many more at a girls' school in Minab, Hormozgan province. According to Israeli sources, a number of people were injured in Iran's subsequent strikes on Israel, with impacts experienced in the occupied West Bank. Most Gulf States had successfully intercepted the Iranian strikes; however, one civilian had been killed in the United Arab Emirates by debris from an intercepted missile. "Military action carries the risk of igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region of the world," he warned.
United States, Israel Defend Strikes as 'Necessary' Response to Iran Missile, Nuclear Threat
"You know who is not complaining?" the representative of the United States asked: The people of Iran, who are celebrating in the streets. For decades, the Iranian regime has willfully destabilized the world, he said, adding: "Iran's continued pursuit of advanced missile capabilities, coupled with its refusal to abandon nuclear ambitions despite diplomatic opportunities, presents a grave and mounting danger." Washington D.C. met the moment with "moral clarity", he argued.
"Operation Epic Fury" is directed towards specific and strategic objectives, such as dismantling Iran's missile capabilities, he continued. Iran's support for terrorist organizations such as the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas have brought bloodshed across the Middle East. "The safety of our allies is not conditional", he said, and quoting the United States President's words to the Iranian people, added: "Your freedom is at hand."
For 47 years, said Israel's representative, "the Islamic regime in Iran has led crowds in chanting […] 'death to Israel' and 'death to America'." Meanwhile, Tehran enriched uranium and prepared for nuclear action. Instead of allowing International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections, Iran fortified its nuclear facilities and violated sanctions. No responsible nation would accept a future marked by such grave threats from its neighbour, he stressed.
Today's operation was guided by clear objectives and was required to protect Israeli civilians, fully in line with the UN Charter and international law, he said. "We all know the escalation did not begin today," but instead when Iran began destabilizing the region and turned on its own people. "History has taught [the Jewish people] never to ignore those who openly called for our destruction," he said, also addressing the Iranian people directly: "You deserve better […] we stand with you."
Iran Rejects Claims of Imminent Threat, as Arab States Warn against Regional War
Iran's delegate said the United States and the Israeli regime had explicitly articulated regime change as their objective. He dismissed the invocation to "preemptive attack" and claims of imminent threat, pointing out that Iran had been participating in dialogue towards a sustainable agreement. Yet for the second time during negotiations, the United States betrayed diplomacy.
The aggression "satisfies none of the criteria of lawful self-defense", he insisted, and Iran will exercise right of self-defence under the Charter's Article 51. It will not target the sovereignty or interests of its neighbours in the Persian Gulf. Rather, it will direct its response exclusively at United States bases and assets that operate beyond the control of the host States.
"My country […] never expected to be targeted by wanton aggression without any justification," Bahrain's delegate said, describing Iran's strikes on his nation and others in the region as "unprecedented escalations". Bahrain retains the right to respond, pursuant to international law. Speaking on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council, he went on to underline the "irresponsible, dangerous" nature of today's attacks, adding: "We hold the Government of Iran fully responsible," and rejecting any attempts to justify them.
Majed Abdel Fattah Abdelaziz, Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States, said that "regrettably, the moment in which the Arab-Israeli conflict has expanded into a full‑scale regional war," has arrived. Israel claims its goal was to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, but it refuses to join the Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) or subject its nuclear facilities to the IAEA's safeguards regime. Iran's unprovoked military attack on several Arab States threatens to widen the scope of the conflict, he said.
China's delegate echoed the Secretary-General's call for urgent deescalation, condemning the use or threat of force in international relations. "At all times, the red line of attacking civilians in conflict must not be crossed." It is "shocking" that the strikes by the United State and Israel came just as diplomatic negotiations were underway on Iran's nuclear programme.
Despite Tehran's willingness to engage in diplomacy, the representative of the Russian Federation said, it has been "stabbed in the back". Washington has been building its military presence in the region, indicating that this aggression was long planned, he said. Recalling that in 2003, the United States had claimed that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, he dismissed the assertion that the current operation is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. IAEA reports have never indicated that Iran may be engaging in nuclear weapons development, he said.
Diplomacy Derailed as Sanctions Take Hold
"Diplomacy has once again been derailed," Pakistan's delegate said, condemning the initiation of unwarranted attacks against Iran. He expressed solidarity with the "brotherly Gulf countries" who have been attacked and expressed sorrow about the death of a fellow national in the United Arab Emirates.
Several delegates expressed concern that Iran has still not abandoned its nuclear weapons programme. Strongly condemning Iran's strikes, Greece's delegate emphasized that Tehran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. Beyond the Middle East, Tehran has supported the Russian Federation's war in Ukraine, Latvia's delegate said, while Denmark's delegate noted that the European Union, with her country's support, has adopted strong sanctions against Iran.
"The Iranian people must be able to exercise their fundamental rights," France's delegate said, rejecting the Government's violent response to recent peaceful protests. The United Kingdom's representative, Council President for February, speaking in his national capacity, said that while his country played no role in the strikes against Iran today, it is under no illusions about the nature of the regime in Tehran. Only a negotiated diplomatic solution can ensure success, he said, urging Iran to end its "appalling behaviour" and return to a path of dialogue.
No 'Selective Interpretations' of Self-Defence
Colombia's delegate stressed that "no State may unilaterally claim the right to attack another in order to implement regime change." She warned against any "selective interpretations" of that principle. Iran's nuclear programme must be maintained for purely peaceful purposes only, and she proposed a peace conference under UN auspices.
Somalia's delegate, also speaking for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia, warned that the escalations could plunge "the entire region in an uncontrollable cycle of violence, suffering and pain". The Council has been here before, Panama's delegate recalled, asking whether pursuing the same course of action would yield a different outcome.
