The United Nations chief condemned the US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran and called for an immediate return to negotiations "to pull the region, and our world, back from the brink." Secretary-General António Guterres told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Saturday that everything must be done to prevent further escalation. "The alternative," he warned, per the AP, "is a potential wider conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability." Guterres also denounced Iran's retaliatory attacks for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
US Ambassador Mike Waltz insisted the US military action was lawful. "Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," he told the council. "That principle is not a matter of politics. It's a matter of global security." Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon, speaking to reporters before the meeting, said it was "hypocrisy" to condemn the airstrikes. He said that Iran is responsible for the actions of its proxies in the Middle East and for its nuclear and missile programs, and that Israel and the US acted "to prevent an irreversible and immediate threat." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a letter to the secretary-general, accused the US and Israel of "flagrantly" violating Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the UN Charter. He said Iran was exercising its right to self-defense under the charter in response.
Araghchi urged council members "to take the necessary and immediate measures to halt this unlawful use of force and to ensure accountability." And he called for an unequivocal condemnation of "this act of aggression … as it undoubtedly poses an unprecedented threat to regional as well as global peace and security." Russia's ambassador also condemned the US-Israeli airstrikes, while China's ambassador was more measured in his criticism. "We demand that the United States and Israel immediately cease their aggressive actions," Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said. "We insist on the immediate resumption of political and diplomatic settlement efforts … based on international law, mutual respect and a balance of interests."
Ambassador Fu Cong said China was concerned by "the sudden escalation of regional tensions" and supported Russia's call for a return to diplomatic negotiations. In a joint statement, the leaders of Britain and France—both veto-wielding members of the council—along with Germany's chancellor, called for a resumption of US-Iranian talks on Tehran's nuclear program. The three countries, part of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, have led efforts to reach a negotiated solution. Trump pulled the US out of the deal in 2018.
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