US Defense Secretary says US strikes 'devastated' Iran's nuclear program

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Iran's ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, accused this Sunday, 22, the United States of acting under the direct influence of Israel in bombing Iranian nuclear facilities and promised a proportionate military response. He also criticized the failure of the UN and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) in the face of the offensive.

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon defended the action as an act of historic responsibility and compared the Iranian threat to the greatest global risk since World War II.

In a speech to the Security Council, Iravani called the offensive a “brutal aggression” and a deliberate attack on Iranian sovereignty. “The timing, nature and scale of Iran’s proportionate response will be decided by its armed forces,” the ambassador said.

According to him, the US “sacrificed its own security just to hold on to Netanyahu,” whom he called an “international criminal.” Benjamin Netanyahu is the prime minister of Israel.

Iravani said Tehran had repeatedly warned the United States to avoid getting involved in a “new quagmire.” He said Iran, as a peaceful nation of nearly 100 million people, had a legitimate right to self-defense.

The diplomat accused the US of violating several international norms. “This aggression by the US and UK regime is a clear and blatant abuse of international rights,” he said. He cited Security Council resolutions 487 and 2231, the UN Charter and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) itself.

Iravani also pointed to the regional risks posed by the bombings, including the possibility of a nuclear disaster. “The attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, under the protection of the International Atomic Energy Agency, are a moral, political and legal disgrace,” he said.

The ambassador concluded by demanding immediate action from the Security Council against the US and Israel. “If this Council fails to act, silence will be seen as complicity in these crimes,” he said.

Iran says international system is facing “moral bankruptcy”

During his speech at the Security Council, the diplomat also stated that the offensive exposed the “moral, political and legal bankruptcy” of the international collective security system.

“The eight-decade-old mission of preventing war and aggression is empty and powerless in practice,” Iravani said, criticizing the Security Council for failing to prevent the escalation. He said the international community was duly informed of the risks from the beginning of hostilities but failed to act preventively.

The Iranian representative also questioned the role of the IAEA, saying Director General Rafael Grossi had remained silent in the face of the threat to facilities under his supervision.

“The attack on Iran’s nuclear sites, under IAEA security, is a disgrace that will remain a stain on the credibility of these international bodies,” he said. Iravani said Iran was the target of an illegal action carried out by two UN member states, one of which is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the other, Israel, which is not subject to any international inspection regime.

Throughout his speech, the diplomat also cited previous episodes involving the US, such as the interventions in Iraq , Afghanistan and Libya , to assert that the attack on Iran is part of an American policy of systematic disregard for international law. “From the illegal invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan to the catastrophic intervention in Libya, the United States has ignored the UN treaty and destabilized the region for decades,” he stated.

Iravani stressed that Iran will continue to defend its peaceful nuclear program and called on the other members of the Council to condemn the bombings unequivocally. According to him, the lack of international reaction could set a precedent for new violations of the sovereignty of other countries. “If the Security Council fails again, the credibility of the United Nations and the non-proliferation regime will be irreversibly compromised,” he concluded.

Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said that the strikes conducted by the United States against Iran's nuclear facilities were an act of historic responsibility to protect the international security system.

In a speech to the Security Council, Danon compared the threat posed by Tehran to the greatest risk the world has faced since World War II and said the US decision was taken when all other diplomatic alternatives had been exhausted.

“The free world was facing the greatest threat it has seen since World War II,” he said. Danon said Iran had used nuclear negotiations over the years as a “delaying tactic” to buy time to build missiles and advance uranium enrichment. “Iran negotiated deals it never intended to keep. It made commitments it never honored,” he said.

Throughout his speech, the diplomat stressed that both Israel and the United States acted with precision and with an exclusive focus on military and nuclear targets. “Israel’s targets were not cities, they were not civilians, they were not homes or schools. They were missile launchers and nuclear sites,” he said. According to him, the difference between the two sides is clear. “They seek chaos, we seek order.”

Danon also cited the political and diplomatic cost of not acting. According to him, inaction in the face of Iran’s nuclear advance would have irreversible consequences. “The cost of inaction would be catastrophic. A nuclear Iran would be a death sentence for both you and us,” he said, addressing the other members of the Council.

The Israeli representative said the US strike was not only to protect Israel, but to ensure the security of all nations committed to freedom and international order. “When the world faced nuclear disaster, America stepped forward. When time ran out, America showed courage,” he said.