• Condemns ‘unwarranted attacks’ on Iran, expresses solidarity with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and UAE
• Iran brands strikes on its cities as ‘war crimes’; China, Russia urge de-escalation
• US defends its actions; Israel claims taking ‘pre-emptive action against extremism’

WASHINGTON: Pakistan struck a delicate balance at a tense United Nations Security Council meeting on Saturday, condemning the unwarranted attacks on Iran, as Tehran denounced the strikes on its cities as “war crimes”, while the United States and Israel defended their actions.

The Council’s emergency session examined the repercussions of the US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, and the discussion laid bare the deep divisions within the 15-member body over the escalating crisis.

Speaking at the meeting, Pakistan’s Permanent Repres­entative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, outlined Islamabad’s growing concern, saying: “Pakistan condemns the initiation of unwarranted attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran, in violation of international law.”

At the same time, he stressed that Pakistan also “condemns the attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and stands in solidarity with all these brotherly countries”.

He warned that, at a time when renewed diplomatic efforts were underway, such actions would “undermine the peace and stability of the entire region, with far-reaching consequences”.

Ambassador Ahmad made clear that Pakistan’s concern extends beyond any single capital.

He lamented that “diplomacy has once again been derailed, as these attacks have happened in the midst of negotiations”, warning that “these military actions undermine dialogue and further erode trust that was already in short supply”.

He reminded the Council that “the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter are inviolable and sacrosanct”, stressing that the Charter “prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of states”.

He offered condolences to “civilians caught in the middle of these violent acts”, specifically mentioning “school children in Iran” and the family of a Pakistani national killed in the United Arab Emirates. In doing so, Islamabad reinforced its message that ordinary people — Iranians, Arabs and Pakistanis alike — are the real victims of escalation.

‘War crimes’

Meanwhile, Iran denounced the attacks on its cities as “war crimes”, while the US and Israel defended their actions at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

Iran’s UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani doubled down on Tehran’s denunciations, insisting that the Security Council must act to halt what he described as an unlawful campaign of force.

He told the council the strikes had “killed and injured hundreds of Iranian civilians,” branding them “a war crime and a crime against humanity,” and criticised the body’s failure to heed Tehran’s warnings about “warmongering statements” from Washington.

Iravani said the central question before the Council was fundamental to the UN system itself.

“The issue before the Council is straightforward,” he said: “whether any member state may, including a permanent member of this Council, through the use of force, coercion or aggression, determine the political future or system of another state or impose control over its affairs.”

UN Secretary General António Guterres urged all sides to step back from further escalation.

The secretary-general said the US and Israeli airstrikes violated international law, including the UN Charter. At the same time, he condemned Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone attacks, saying they violated “the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

US, Israel defend actions

The US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, rejected the secretary-general’s legal assessment and insisted Washington’s actions were justified.

“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he told the Council. “That principle is not a matter of politics. It’s a matter of global security.” He added: “To that end, the United States is taking lawful actions.”

In a sharp exchange with Iravani, Waltz responded to the accusation of committing war crimes by attacking Tehran’s human rights record.

“This representative sits here, in this body, representing a regime that has killed tens of thousands of its own people, and imprisoned many more, simply for wanting freedom from your entire tyranny,” he said.

In a rare moment of direct confrontation, Iravani later returned to the floor after a US rebuttal to issue a pointed warning: “I advise the representative of the United States to be polite. It will be better for yourself and the country you represent.”

Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, defended the strikes as a necessary act of pre-emption.

“We are stopping extremism before it becomes unstoppable,” he said. “We will ensure that no radical regime armed with nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles can threaten our people or the entire world.”

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, strongly condemned the US-Israeli action. “We demand that the United States and Israel immediately cease their aggressive actions,” he said.

China’s envoy, Fu Cong, also expressed concern over what he called “the sudden escalation of regional tensions”, backing calls for a return to diplomacy.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2026