The UN Security Council convened yesterday to address the recent US military actions against Iran’s nuclear facilities, as Russia, China, and Pakistan urged the 15-member body to adopt a resolution demanding an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East.
“The strikes on Iranian nuclear sites by the United States signify a dangerous escalation,” warned UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during the Security Council meeting.
“We must act swiftly and decisively to end the conflict and return to serious, sustained discussions regarding the Iran nuclear program,” he stressed.
As the world awaits Iran’s reaction, US President Donald Trump declared that the US had “obliterated” crucial nuclear sites in Tehran, marking the largest Western military operation against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.
“Achieving peace in the Middle East cannot be realized through force,” stated China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong.
“Diplomatic avenues to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue have not been fully explored, and there is still hope for a peaceful resolution,” he added.
However, acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea conveyed that the time had come for decisive action from the US, calling on the Security Council to urge Iran to cease its pursuit of eliminating Israel and its drive for nuclear armament.
US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea emphasized, “The Iranian regime cannot possess a nuclear weapon.”
“Iran has consistently obscured its nuclear weapons agenda and hindered our good-faith efforts in recent talks,” she noted. “The Iranian regime cannot be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.”
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia recalled former US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s claims at the UN Security Council in 2003, which asserted that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein posed an immediate threat due to the nation’s stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons.
“Once again, we are being asked to accept the US’s narratives, risking the suffering of millions in the Middle East. This reinforces our belief that history has taught our US colleagues nothing,” he remarked.
Cost of inaction ‘catastrophic’
Iran had requested the UN Security Council meeting yesterday.
Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani charged that Israel and the US were undermining diplomacy, stating that all US claims are baseless and asserting that the nuclear non-proliferation treaty has been weaponized for political purposes.
“Instead of protecting parties’ legitimate rights to peaceful nuclear energy, it has been exploited as a justification for aggression and unlawful actions that threaten my country’s vital interests,” Mr. Iravani expressed to the council.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon commended the US for its actions against Iran, saying: “This is what a final line of defense looks like when all other options have failed.”
He accused Iran of using negotiations about its nuclear program as a facade to buy time for missile development and uranium enrichment.
“The cost of inaction would have been catastrophic. A nuclear Iran would pose a death sentence not just for us, but for you as well,” he warned the council.
The timeline for a council vote on the draft resolution remains unclear.
Russia, China, and Pakistan have requested that council members submit their feedback by this evening.
A resolution requires at least nine affirmative votes and no vetoes from the US, France, Britain, Russia, or China for passage.
The US is anticipated to oppose the draft resolution, which also condemns the attacks on Iran’s nuclear installations and sites. Notably, the text does not mention the United States or Israel explicitly.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon reiterated his support for US actions against Iran.
“Military action alone cannot provide a lasting solution to the concerns surrounding Iran’s nuclear program,” asserted Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward.
“We urge Iran to exercise restraint, and we call on all parties to return to the negotiation table to seek a diplomatic resolution that prevents further escalation and resolves this crisis,” she concluded.
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi reported that while craters were visible at Iran’s enrichment site nestled in a mountain at Fordow, “no one—including the IAEA—is positioned to assess the underground damage.”
Mr. Grossi informed the Security Council that entrances to tunnels utilized for storing enriched materials seemed to have been targeted at Iran’s extensive Isfahan nuclear complex, while the fuel enrichment facility at Natanz had also been struck again.
“Iran has notified the IAEA that there has been no rise in off-site radiation levels at any of the three sites,” stated Mr. Grossi, who leads the International Atomic Energy Agency.
