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The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting Saturday to address clashes between the United States and Israel against Iran, with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warning that the situation could widen into a broader conflict with “grave consequences for civilians and regional stability.” Guterres told the council that everything must be done to prevent an escalation as countries urged a halt to the attacks and a return to negotiations.
Guterres said the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes violated international law, including the U.N. Charter. He also condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks, saying they violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
U.S. ambassador Mike Waltz told the Security Council that the U.S. action was lawful, framing the strikes as tied to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Waltz said, “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” and added, “That principle is not a matter of politics. It’s a matter of global security. And to that end, the United States is taking lawful actions.”
Israel’s U.N. ambassador Danny Danon defended the airstrikes as necessary, saying they were aimed at stopping a threat before it becomes unmanageable. Danon told the council, “We are stopping extremism before it becomes unstoppable,” and said Israel would “ensure that no radical regime armed with nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles can threaten our people or the entire world.”
Iran’s ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani rejected the U.S. and Israeli justifications, telling the council that the airstrikes killed and injured hundreds of Iranian civilians. He said the strikes constituted a war crime and a crime against humanity, and he also criticized the council for not heeding Tehran’s warnings about “warmongering statements” by the United States in recent weeks.
In his remarks, Iravani did not comment on President Donald Trump’s statement claiming Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the strikes, according to the report. Iranian state media later confirmed Khamenei’s death, a development that raised concerns among some delegates about whether retaliation could prolong the conflict.
Toward the end of the emergency session, the U.S. and Iranian ambassadors traded direct warnings in a rare exchange as the risk of broader regional involvement hung over the debate. After Waltz responded to Iranian claims that the U.S. had violated international law, Iravani asked to speak again and issued a warning to the U.S. representative, saying: “I advise to the representative of the United States to be polite. It will be better for yourself and the country you represent.”
Waltz responded immediately, saying: “This representative sits here, in this body, representing a regime that has killed tens of thousands of its own people, and imprisoned many more, simply for wanting freedom from your entire tyranny.” Several other council members then used the floor to press for restraint and negotiations while condemning the actions they believed most threatened regional stability.
Russia’s ambassador Vassily Nebenzia condemned the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, and said the council should demand an immediate cease to aggressive actions. China’s ambassador Fu Cong said China was very concerned by “the sudden escalation of regional tensions” and supported a call for returning to diplomatic negotiations.
The permanent observer of the 22-nation Arab League, Maged Abdelaziz, also took the microphone, suggesting Israel was being hypocritical when it argued that its military attack sought to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Abdelaziz said Israel has refused to subject its own nuclear facilities to inspection by the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
The emergency meeting was called by Bahrain, France, Russia, China and Colombia. The report said Britain and France, along with Germany’s chancellor, issued a joint statement calling for a resumption of U.S.-Iranian talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, with the three countries linking their position to their role in the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from in 2018.
The Security Council session took place on the last day of the United Kingdom’s presidency and a day before the United States takes over the rotating presidency for March. Amiri reported from Atlanta.