Key players tangle at UNSC at ‘perilous turn’ of US-Israel-Iran conflict

Tensions soar at the UN as Iran and its allies condemn US military actions, while the US and Israel reject censure.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has convened an emergency session after the US-led strikes on Iranian nuclear sitesprompting sharp rebukes from several member states and renewed calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East, while allies Israel and the US lauded the attack.

Russia, China and Pakistan have proposed a resolution demanding an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire”, according to diplomats familiar with the draft circulated on Sunday. While the proposal does not explicitly name the United States or Israelit condemns the attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. A vote has not yet been scheduled.

To pass, the resolution requires the backing of at least nine members and no vetoes from the five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the US. This makes it a non-starter since the US will not censure itself.

Speaking to the UNSC, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the region was standing “on the brink of a deadly downward spiral”.

“The bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States marks a perilous turn in a region that is already reeling,” Guterres said. “We now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation. We must act – immediately and decisively – to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iran nuclear programme.”

Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea defended the military action, saying that Washington had moved to dismantle Iran’s enrichment capacity to protect both US citizens and allies.

“The time finally came for the United States, in defence of its ally and our own interests, to act decisively,” Shea told the chamber. “Iran should not escalate… Any Iranian attack, direct or indirect, against Americans or American bases will be met with devastating retaliation.”

Iran’s ambassador, Ali Bahreini, said the Israeli and US attacks on Iran did not come about “in a vacuum” and were the result of “politically motivated actions” of the US and its European partners.

He said the US “decided to destroy diplomacy”. He pointedly made it clear that the Iranian military will decide on the  “timing, nature and scale” of its response.

Meanwhile, Israel’s UN envoy, Danny Danon, said the attacks had made the world “a safer place”, rejecting calls for condemnation. When asked whether Israel supported regime change in Tehran, he said, “That’s for the Iranian people to decide, not for us.”

China’s ambassador, Fu Cong, condemned the US strikes and urged restraint. “We call for an immediate ceasefire,” he said. “China is deeply concerned about the risk of the situation getting out of control.”

Russia’s UN envoy, Vasily Nebenzya, described the attacks as yet another sign of Washington’s disregard for global norms. “The US has opened a Pandora’s box,” he said. “No one knows what catastrophe or suffering will follow.”

Pakistan’s ambassador, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, also condemned the US bombing as deeply troubling. “The sharp rise in tensions and violence as a result of Israeli aggression and unlawful actions is profoundly disturbing,” he said. “Pakistan stands in solidarity with the government and brotherly people of Iran during this challenging time.”

This comment comes a day after Pakistan suggested that US President Donald Trump be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump’s announcement that US forces had “obliterated” Iran’s key nuclear sites marked the most significant Western military action against Tehran since the 1979 revolution.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, told the UNSC that while the scale of underground damage remained unclear, impact craters were visible at the Fordow enrichment site. The entrances to tunnels at the Isfahan site appeared to have been struck, while Natanz – long a target of Israeli sabotage – had been hit again.

Iran has castigated Grossi for being complicit in paving the way for Israel and the US to attack it.

The IAEA’s Board of Governors approved a resolution declaring Iran was not complying with its commitment to international nuclear safeguards the day before Israel launched its initial attack on June 13.