Iran has condemned Saturday’s joint Israeli and U.S. attacks on the country, saying the attacks constitute “a war crime and a crime against humanity”.
Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani spoke at the Security Council meeting underway at the UN headquarters in New York, called by French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the Iran’s attacks.
Iravani said the joint and coordinated attack on Iran by the U.S. and Israel was unprovoked and premeditated aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran for the second time in recent months,” he said.
“This is not only an act of aggression; it is a war crime and a crime against humanity,” he insisted, accusing the U.S. and Israel of deliberately attacking civilian populated areas in multiple large cities.
“The invocation to ‘pre-emptive attack,’ claims of imminent threat, or other unsubstantiated political claims, are unfounded legally, morally and politically”.
The Iranian diplomat categorically rejected the assertions made by the representatives of France, the UK and other Western representatives regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme.
The Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon, said Israel’s strikes on Iran took place to stop “an existential threat before it became irreversible.”
Danon said his country had acted out of necessity because the regime left no reasonable alternative, building nuclear weapons in disregard for international law.
He also said Iran was expanding missile arsenals and arming proxies across the region, all while declaring its intention to erase Israel from the map.
The Israeli diplomat said Tehran had been required to stop enriching uranium and to allow full inspections but did not do so.
Amb. Mike Waltz of the United States said that the strikes on Iran were directed towards dismantling its ballistic missile capabilities.
Waltz said the U.S. was degrading Iranian naval assets being used to destabilise international waters and disrupt the machinery that arms proxy militias.
The U.S. diplomat said the aim is to ensure that “the Iranian regime can never, ever threaten the world with a nuclear weapon.”
He added that Iran’s continued pursuit of advanced missile capabilities, coupled with its refusal to abandon nuclear ambitions, in spite of diplomatic opportunities, represents “a grave and mounting danger”.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that the U.S.-Israeli strikes were “yet another unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent Member State, in violation of the UN Charter and international law.”
Nebenzia said the “reckless step” has led to a sharp escalation across the region, which he described as a “betrayal of diplomacy”.
China’s Ambassador Fu Cong described the U.S.-Israeli strikes as “brazen”, condemning the threat of force to settle any international dispute.
Fu called for the “sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of Iran and other regional countries to be respected.”
Amb. Jérôme Bonnafont of France called on Iran to respect its international obligations, stressing that adherence to international law is “a condition for long-term security in the region and world.”
Bonnafont said that Iran has not taken the opportunity to conclude a nuclear agreement but has instead reduced its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Ambassador James Kariuki of the United Kingdom, Security Council President for February, said: “This is a fragile moment for the Middle East. Regional stability remains a priority”.
He added that UK forces were active and its planes were in the sky as part of “coordinated regional defensive operations”, in line with international law.
“We want to see the swiftest possible resolution that ensures security and stability for the region,” the UK envoy said.
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, while condemning the attacks on Iran, said: “Everything must be done” to prevent wider escalation of war across the Middle East.
The UN chief reiterated that lasting peace can only be achieved through peaceful means, including genuine dialogue and negotiations.
Guterres noted that the joint military operation occurred following indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran mediated by Oman, “squandering” an opportunity for diplomacy.
