Merve Aydogan
14 June 2025•Update: 14 June 2025
HAMILTON, Canada
Iran's envoy to the UN on Friday condemned Israel's attacks on its nuclear facilities, calling it a "direct consequence of the case of inaction on double standards" and accusing the US of complicity.
Speaking at an emergency UN Security Council session, Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani expressed gratitude to "Algeria, Pakistan, China and the Russian Federation for their support in convening this emergency session to address Israel's unlawful act of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the grave violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations."
Describing the Middle East as a "cauldron of chronic instability" since Israel's creation in 1948, Iravani said: "This regime must be disarmed of all weapons of mass destruction, placed under international supervision and held fully accountable."
Iravani stressed that the latest hostilities with Israel are "not a regional issue" and "not merely an attack on one country."
"This is a direct assault on the international order, an attack on the Charter of the United Nations, the UN system, the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, as well as the authority of the IAEA," he added.
Accusing Washington of backing the Israeli strikes, the Iranian envoy said: "The aggression was intentional, coordinated and fully backed by a permanent member of this council, the United States. The United States’ complicity in this terrorist attack is beyond doubt."
"Iran's response will be firm, lawful and essential to restore deterrence, defend our sovereignty and uphold the principles of international law," he added.
He further called on the council to "condemn, in the strongest possible terms, Israeli unlawful aggression."
"Israel attacked Iran. Israel violated international law and the UN Charter, and Israel must be held accountable," he said, adding that "silence is complicity in this crime."
'Unprovoked attack’
Russia's UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia called Israel's strikes as an "unprovoked attack," and "a gross violation of the UN Charter and international law."
"One is left with the impression that the leadership of Israel is convinced that they have a completely free hand in the region, and they probably think that Israel can flout any legal norms and replace all international bodies, including the Security Council and IAEA," Nebenzia argued, condemning Israel's actions.
He warned that Israel's "military adventure pushes the region to the brink of a large-scale war," and held Israeli leadership responsible for the consequences of these developments.
China's UN envoy Fu Cong also condemned the Israeli strikes, arguing that it violated "Iran's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and opposes the intensification of tensions and expansion of conflicts, and is deeply concerned about the potential grave consequences of Israeli operations."
"Countries with significant influence over Israel should practically play a constructive role," he said.
Algerian envoy to the UN Amar Bendjama said: "Israelis act like international law does not exist or simply does not apply to them."
"Israel is sowing chaos throughout the region, throughout the Middle East," he said, recalling the repeated "act of aggression" by Israel across the region.
Noting that a "genocide is unfolding before our eyes" in the Gaza Strip, Bendjama said: "This is the behavior of a rogue state and yet some still wonder why the Middle East remains so dangerously unstable."
Pakistan's envoy to the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmad echoed some of the council members and also called Israeli strikes an "unjustified and illegitimate aggression."
He pledged Pakistan's "resolute solidarity" with Iran, and emphasized that "Iran has the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter."
"The fact that these attacks against Iran have happened in the middle of a negotiations process aimed at finding a peaceful diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue makes it all the more morally repugnant and against international norms," he said, noting that it risks "trust and sanctity of the negotiations process."
