A tense exchange unfolded Saturday at the U.N. Security Council as American and Iranian diplomats confronted each other hours after U.S. and Israeli forces carried out coordinated strikes on Iranian military and leadership targets.
Iran's ambassador to the U.N., Amir Saeid Iravani, cautioned the U.S. delegation in the emergency session.
"I advise to the representative of the United States to be polite," he said, adding that "it would be better for yourself and the country you represent."
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz responded bluntly.
"Frankly, I am not going to dignify this with another response," he said, criticizing Tehran's leadership as a regime that has "killed tens of thousands of its own people and imprisoned many more simply for wanting freedom from your tyranny."
The emergency meeting was convened after French President Emmanuel Macron called for urgent consultations after news broke of the U.S.-Israeli operation. He warned of "grave consequences for international peace and security" if the confrontation escalates.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also urged restraint.
"The alternative is a potential wider conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability," he said while arguing the strikes violated international law, including the U.N. Charter.
Waltz rejected that characterization, saying the U.S. is "taking lawful actions" and reiterating that Iran "cannot have a nuclear weapon."
Iravani accused the U.S. and Israel of committing a war crime and said civilians were killed in the strikes.
Earlier Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader for decades, was killed in the opening phase of the operation.
Khamenei's death was confirmed later in the day by Iranian state media.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon defended the campaign, telling the council that "we are stopping extremism before it becomes unstoppable" and vowing that no "radical regime armed with nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles" would be allowed to threaten Israel or the broader international community.
The European Commission said it will convene a special security session Monday to assess the fallout as diplomatic and military tensions continue to rise.
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