The United Nations’ chief has condemned the recent U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, calling for an immediate return to negotiations “to pull the region, and our world, back from the brink.”
Secretary-General António Guterres addressed an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Saturday, emphasizing that everything must be done to prevent further escalation. “The alternative,” he warned, “is a potential wider conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability.”
Guterres also condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks, which violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Before the meeting, Israel’s U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon, spoke to reporters, calling it “hypocrisy” to condemn the airstrikes. He stated that Iran is responsible for the actions of its proxies in the Middle East, as well as its nuclear and missile programs. According to Danon, Israel and the U.S. acted “to prevent an irreversible and immediate threat.”
In a striking development, President Trump and Israeli officials claimed that the attack on Iran resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The assassination of Iran’s second leader, who currently has no designated successor, could increase the likelihood of a protracted conflict, given Iranian threats of retaliation.
Trump, reporting Khamenei’s death on social media, called it “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.” However, as of late Saturday, Iran had denied that Khamenei had been killed.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a letter to the U.N. Secretary-General accusing the United States and Israel of “flagrantly” violating Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the U.N. Charter. Araghchi asserted that Iran is exercising its right to self-defense under the charter in response to the attacks.
He urged Security Council members “to take the necessary and immediate measures to halt this unlawful use of force and to ensure accountability.” Furthermore, he called for an unequivocal condemnation of “this act of aggression, as it undoubtedly poses an unprecedented threat to regional as well as global peace and security.”
The emergency meeting was called by five Security Council members: Bahrain, which holds the Arab seat on the council, France, Russia, China, and Colombia.
In a joint statement, the leaders of Britain and France—both permanent, veto-wielding members of the Security Council—along with Germany’s chancellor, called for a resumption of U.S.-Iranian talks concerning Tehran’s nuclear program. These three countries, part of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, have been at the forefront of efforts to reach a negotiated solution.
It is important to note that President Trump withdrew the U.S. from this nuclear deal in 2018.
While strongly condemning the Iranian airstrikes in the region, the three European leaders did not condemn the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes. They urged Iran’s leaders to seek a negotiated solution, stating: “Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future.”
The Security Council meeting took place on the final day of the United Kingdom’s presidency, just one day before the United States assumes the rotating presidency for the month of March.
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-02-28/un-chief-condemns-us-israeli-attacks-on-iran-at-emergency-meeting