The United Nations Security Council held an emergency session on Friday to address the alarming escalation in hostilities between Iran and Israel, following a deadly Israeli airstrike on Iranian soil that has brought the region to the brink of a wider war.
Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, condemned the Israeli attack as “state terrorism,” accusing Israel of violating international law and the UN Charter. Iravani claimed that Israeli warplanes, with U.S. support, struck multiple targets, including the Natanz nuclear facility, risking a nuclear radiation leak and killing at least 78 civilians, including women and children.
The Iranian envoy also confirmed that the strikes killed senior military leaders, including Major General Mohammad Bagheri and IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, as well as six nuclear scientists. The attack on June 13 reportedly caused severe damage to both military and civilian infrastructure.
In retaliation, Iran launched “Operation True Promise 3”, firing a barrage of missiles into Israeli territory. Explosions were reported in Tel Aviv, injuring several civilians.
Pakistan, China, Algeria, and Russia backed Iran at the emergency meeting. Pakistan’s UN representative, Asim Iftikhar, condemned the Israeli aggression and reiterated Iran’s right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
The U.S. representative, Ambassador Dorothy Shea, distanced Washington from direct involvement in the attack, calling it a “unilateral Israeli action”, though she acknowledged that the U.S. had been informed beforehand. She warned Iran that any attack on American military assets would trigger “grave consequences,” and urged Tehran to return to nuclear negotiations.
Russia’s envoy accused Israel of “driving the region toward nuclear catastrophe,” warning of escalating instability and calling for immediate diplomatic de-escalation.
As tensions soar, fears mount that the conflict could spiral into a full-scale regional war, potentially drawing in other countries and plunging the Middle East into deeper chaos.
