UNITED NATIONS, US
Israel demanded Sunday that the U.N. Security Council act to punish and deter Iran following an unprecedented Iranian military strike on Israel that Tehran said was in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy in Syria earlier this month.
“Today, the council must take
action,” Israel’s U.N. envoy, Gilad Erdan, told the Security Council. “Condemn
Iran for their terror; trigger the snap back mechanism and reimpose crippling
sanctions; designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terror
organization. Action must be taken now — not for Israel’s sake, not for the
region’s sake, but for the world’s sake.”
Israel requested the emergency
meeting following a direct attack on its territory by Iran that it said
included 170 armed drones, 120 ballistic missiles, and 30 cruise missiles.
Israel said its air defenses, along with those of the United States and other
allies, shot down 99% of them.
Erdan criticized the council
for not listening to Israel’s warnings over the years about Iran. He said the
international community has been silent on the rise of “a Shiite Islamist
Reich,” but with Iran’s direct attack on Israel, the regime has now been exposed.
“As Iran’s mask has fallen,
the world’s complacency must also fall,” the Israeli envoy said. “The mask
comes off and the gloves must come on.”
He said Iran had “crossed
every red line” and that Israel reserves the legal right to retaliate.
Iran’s envoy said they had no
choice but to exercise their right to self-defense following the April 1 attack
on their embassy in Damascus and the Security Council’s failure to formally
condemn it.
Some council diplomats said
the United States, France and Britain blocked a condemnation because they had
questions about whether the Iranian premises were being used for covert
operations.
“This lawless regime has
committed many atrocious crimes against our people,” Iranian Ambassador Amir
Saeid Iravani said about Israel. “This regime blatantly and openly admitted its
responsibility for the terrorist and destructive operations committed against
Iranian officials, scientists and civilians, and sabotage against our peaceful
nuclear infrastructure in recent years.”
Israel has allegedly carried
out several strikes, assassinations and cyberattacks on Iran in recent years,
most targeted at their nuclear program. Israel never publicly confirms such
operations.
Iravani said Iran “does not
seek escalation or war in the region” but would defend itself if necessary.
He also emphasized that Iran
does not want a conflict with the United States.
“We demonstrated our
commitment to peace by exercising our restraint about involving the U.S. Army
in intercepting Iranian drones and missiles bound for military targets in the
occupied Palestinian territories,” he said. “This underscores our dedication to
deescalating tensions and avoiding the expansion of conflict.”
But he added that if the
United States military initiates any operations against his country, its
citizens or its security interests, Iran would “respond proportionately.”
U.S. envoy Robert Wood said
Washington is not seeking an escalation with Tehran but issued a warning.
“And let me be clear — if Iran
or its proxies take actions against the United States or further action against
Israel, Iran will be held responsible,” he said.
Wood said the United States
would begin consulting with other countries to “explore additional measures to
hold Iran accountable here at the United Nations.” He did not go into details
on what that might include. He also urged the Security Council to “unequivocally
condemn” Iran’s actions and call for its partners and proxies to cease their
attacks.
Iranian-backed groups,
including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, have fired rockets and
missiles at Israel, and the Houthis have carried out attacks on ships in the
Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.N. secretary-general
addressed the emergency meeting, appealing for a de-escalation and a lessening
of tensions.
“It is time to step back from
the brink,” Antonio Guterres said, adding that neither the Middle East nor the
world could afford more war.
Most Security Council members
condemned the escalation and echoed the U.N. chief’s calls for de-escalation
and diplomacy, while expressing concern about the risk of widening regional
turmoil.
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