The United Nations Security Council is set to convene for an emergency meeting hours after the United States and Israel carried out massive military strikes in Iran.
“The Security Council will hold an emergency briefing today under the agenda item, ‘The Situation in the Middle East.’ The Secretary-General is expected to brief,” the UN Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs said in a statement, adding that the meeting will start around 4 pm Eastern.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the “use of force,” adding that the action was inconsistent with the UN Charter.
“I condemn today’s military escalation in the Middle East. The use of force by the United States and Israel against Iran, and the subsequent retaliation by Iran across the region, undermine international peace and security,” he said in a statement.
The first strikes Saturday morning appeared to target the home of Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in downtown Tehran. A source with knowledge of the matter had earlier told Reuters that Khamenei was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location.
Tehran responded by launching missiles at Israel; explosions rang out in nearby oil-producing Gulf Arab countries like United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar, Reuters reported. Tehran had warned it would strike the region if it was attacked.
The other four permanent members of the UN Security Council — China, Russia, France and the U.K. — have all reacted to the U.S. carrying out strikes on Saturday.
Russia, which shares several key strategic interests with Iran, issued a statement from its foreign ministry saying the U.S. and Israel “have embarked on a perilous course.”
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“This is a deliberate, premeditated, and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent UN member state, in direct violation of the fundamental principles and norms of international law,” the statement said.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing was “highly concerned” by the attacks on Iran, adding that Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity should be respected.
“China calls for an immediate stop of the military actions, no further escalation of the tense situation, resumption of dialogue and negotiation, and efforts to uphold peace and stability in the Middle East,” the statement read.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the situation “dangerous.”
“The outbreak of war between the United States, Israel, and Iran carries grave consequences for international peace and security,” he said.
British Prime Minister Kier Starmer said in a video statement that his country “played no role in these strikes.”
“But we have long been clear — the regime in Iran is utterly abhorrent,” he said.
The U.K. is strengthening its defence capacities in the region in light of the current situation, he said.
“Our forces are active and British planes are in the sky today as part of co-ordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests, and our allies — as Britain has done before, in line with international law,” he said.
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