President Donald Trump has made clear that “all options are on the table to stop the slaughter,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told the UN Security Council on Thursday.Addressing a meeting requested by Washington, Waltz rejected Iran’s claim that the ongoing protests were the result of a foreign conspiracy designed to justify military action.
Iran’s Deputy UN Ambassador Gholamhossein Darzi rejected the US accusations, saying Iran did not seek escalation or confrontation. He accused Waltz of spreading “lies, distortion of facts, and a deliberate misinformation campaign” to conceal Washington’s role in pushing unrest in Iran toward violence.
“Any act of aggression, direct or indirect, will be met with a decisive, proportionate, and lawful response,” Darzi told the Council. “This is not a threat; it is a statement of legal reality.”
Russia’s UN Ambassador VassilyNebenzia accused the US of convening the Security Council to justify interference in Iran’s internal affairs and to prepare for military action aimed at toppling an “undesirable regime.”
“We strongly urge the hot heads in Washington and other capitals to come to their senses,” Nebenzia said.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for “maximum restraint at this sensitive moment,” urging all parties to avoid actions that could lead to further loss of life or trigger wider regional escalation, senior UN official Martha Pobee told the Council.