Bern/New York: The United Nations Security Council is set to convene on Monday to address Israel’s recent airstrikes on Iran, announced Switzerland, the current council president, on Sunday. The meeting was requested by Iran with backing from Algeria, China, and Russia, as confirmed by the Swiss U.N. mission.
In a letter to the 15-member council on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi condemned Israel’s actions, stating, “Israeli regime’s actions constitute a grave threat to international peace and security and further destabilize an already fragile region.” He asserted that Iran retains its “inherent right to legal and legitimate response to these criminal attacks at the appropriate time,” in line with the United Nations Charter and international law.
Before dawn on Saturday, the Israeli military conducted three waves of airstrikes, targeting missile production facilities and other sites near Tehran and western Iran. Israel described these strikes as retaliation for Iran’s October 1 attack on Israel involving approximately 200 ballistic missiles. Israel warned Iran against retaliation, heightening tensions between the two nations.
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Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon dismissed Iran’s complaint to the United Nations, calling it an attempt to manipulate the diplomatic arena. “Iran is trying to act against us in the diplomatic arena with the ridiculous claim that Israel has violated international law,” Danon said in a statement on Sunday. He further emphasized Israel’s stance: “As we have stated time and time again, we have the right and duty to defend ourselves and will use all the means at our disposal to protect the citizens of Israel.”
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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for de-escalation, urging “all parties to cease all military actions, including in Gaza and Lebanon, exert maximum efforts to prevent an all-out regional war, and return to the path of diplomacy,” according to a statement from his spokesperson on Saturday.
