The United States issued a stern warning to Iran at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, urging it to not target the US or Israel, amid an escalation of tensions in the Middle East with Tehran launching a barrage of missiles into Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an end to the ongoing “deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence” in the Middle East. “Time is running out,” Guterres warned the council.
The 15-member council convened following Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon and its ground offensive against the Iran-backed group, as well as an Iranian missile attack on Israel, which heightened fears of a broader regional war.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield defended US and Israeli actions as defensive, stating: “Let me be clear: The Iranian regime will be held accountable for its actions. We strongly warn against Iran—or its proxies—taking further action against the United States or Israel.”
French Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere urged the Security Council to present a united front in de-escalating the conflict. Thomas-Greenfield called for the council to condemn Iran’s actions and impose “serious consequences” on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps for supporting terrorism and violating council resolutions.
In his address, Guterres condemned Iran’s strike on Israel, although earlier in the day, Israel’s foreign minister had barred him from entering the country for not doing so sooner. In a letter to the Security Council, Iran justified its actions as self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter, citing Israeli provocations and sovereignty violations.
Iran claimed it only targeted Israeli military and security facilities in line with international humanitarian law. However, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon rejected this, calling it a “calculated attack on civilians.” He vowed Israel’s response would be decisive, lawful, and painful.
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