UN Security Council Meets Amid Escalating Iran-Israel Conflict

UN Security Council Meets Amid Escalating Iran-Israel Conflict

Israeli military strikes targeted nuclear facilities across Iran.

RMN News World Desk
June 14, 2025

New York, NY – June 13, 2025 – The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) convened an emergency session on Friday (June 13), clearing its original schedule to address the rapidly escalating crisis in the Middle East following Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities and subsequent Iranian counter-strikes. Top UN officials and ambassadors from various nations expressed grave concerns about regional stability and called for de-escalation.

Key Developments and Condemnations:

• Israeli Strikes: Overnight from Thursday into Friday, Israeli military strikes targeted nuclear facilities across Iran, including the Natanz enrichment site, as well as military facilities. Media reports indicate that Hossein Salami, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and several prominent nuclear scientists were among those killed. The strikes reportedly caused significant damage and dozens of civilian casualties. Airspace in the region has been largely closed, and security forces are on high alert. Additional Israeli strikes were reported late Friday local time.
• Iranian Counter-strikes: Ballistic missile launches by Iran have reportedly struck parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv, late Friday local time.

Calls for Restraint and Diplomacy: Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told ambassadors that the repercussions of the attacks were already reverberating. She reaffirmed the Secretary-General’s condemnation of any military escalation in the Middle East, urging both Israel and Iran to exercise maximum restraint and “avoid at all costs a descent into deeper and wider regional conflict”.

Ms. DiCarlo noted that the escalation disrupted “significant diplomatic developments,” including planned United States-Iranian talks in Oman, which Iran will no longer attend. She stressed that “a peaceful resolution through negotiations remains the best means to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme” and warned of “enormous global consequences” if a conflagration is not avoided.

[ Also Read: UNSC Rejects India’s Terror Allegations Against Pakistan Amidst Pakistan’s Rising Diplomatic Stature ]

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also briefed the Council, emphasizing that nuclear sites must never be targeted under any circumstances. He warned that “such attacks have serious implications for nuclear security, nuclear safety and safeguards, as well as regional and international peace and security”. Mr. Grossi offered the IAEA as a neutral platform for dialogue and technical engagement, asserting that “facts prevail over rhetoric”.

International Reactions and Accusations:

• Russia: Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia “strongly condemn[ed]” Israel’s actions as a “gross violation of the UN Charter and international law,” warning they are “pushing the region to a large-scale nuclear catastrophe”. He accused “Western members” of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) of fueling the escalation and urged renewed diplomatic efforts.
• Pakistan: Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad stated that Israel’s “blatant provocations” threaten regional peace. He affirmed that “Iran has the right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter” and criticized Israel’s “continuing pattern of unilateral militarism”. Mr. Ahmad called on the Security Council to “hold the aggressor accountable” and deny Israel “impunity”.
• United States: McCoy Pitt, a senior State Department official, accused Iran of launching “unprovoked, direct and proxy attacks” and spreading instability. He reiterated that Iran “cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons”. Mr. Pitt confirmed the US was informed of the Israeli strikes in advance but was not militarily involved, prioritizing the protection of US citizens and forces in the region. He urged Iran’s leadership to negotiate for a diplomatic resolution.
• Iran: Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani “strongly and unequivocally condemn[ed] the barbaric and criminal attack,” calling it a series of “targeted assassinations against senior military officials, nuclear scientists and innocent civilians”. He described these actions as “a clear act of State terrorism and flagrant violation of international law“. Ambassador Iravani warned that damage to nuclear facilities could cause “catastrophic radiological consequences” and accused those who support Israel, “with the United States at the forefront,” of complicity.
• Israel: Ambassador Danny Danon defended Israel’s strikes as “preventative” and an “act of national preservation“. He stated the mission was to “dismantle Iran’s nuclear programme, eliminate the architects of its terror and aggression and neutralize the regime’s ability to follow through on its repeated public promise to destroy the State of Israel”. Mr. Danon accused Iran of moving toward building a nuclear arsenal and criticized the international community for its inaction, asserting Israel acted alone because it was “left no other option”.