The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has convened an emergency session after the US-led strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, prompting 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 Israel, it 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.
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