Most of the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council fell short of condemning the United States and Israel explicitly for their joint military attacks on Iran early on Saturday, Feb. 28. The Council convened an emergency session later the same day, after the US and Israel carried out what UN Secretary-General António Guterres called “massive military strikes” inside Iran.
The European members of the Council — Britain, Denmark, France, Greece and Latvia — did not condemn the US and Israel outright for the military assault nor the reported hits on two schools in Iran. Yet, Guterres told the Council that airstrikes “killed at least 85 people and injured many more at a girls school in Minab, Hormogan Province. And a school in Tehran was also reportedly hit, causing two deaths.” He said he could not confirm the death of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, although President Trump announced that he had been killed in the Feb. 28 bombardment.
In the Council, only a handful of countries reacted vehemently to the actions by the US and Israel. China called them “brazen,” while Pakistan said it “condemns the initiation of unwarranted attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran, in violation of international law.” It also condemned “the attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates” by Iran.
Russia, which is waging an illegal war against Ukraine, nevertheless said about the strikes against Iran: “The actions taken by Washington and West Jerusalem are nothing but yet another unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent UN Member State, in violation of the UN Charter and of the fundamental principles of international law.”
In the Council, the Iranian envoy to the UN, Amir-Saeid Iravani, pointed out the “blatant double standard” by members who he said disregarded “the flagrant act of aggression committed by the US and Israel on Iran and condemn Iran for using its inherent right to self defense.”
The US and Israel defended their assaults across numerous cities in Iran, including strikes in the capital of Tehran, by contending they were acting in the interest of Iranian civilians. “Israel stands before you today, having acted with the United States to confront and stop an existential threat before it became irreversible,” said Danny Danon, Israel’s permanent representative to the UN.
At the emergency meeting, chaired by Britain, Mike Waltz, the US permanent representative to the UN, justified the Feb. 28 assault by reading a long list of harms and sinister actions he said have been carried out by the Iranian government over the last several decades, including attempting to kill President Trump.
“This is a moment in history that requires moral clarity, and President Trump has met the moment,” Waltz added. “The bottom line is this, colleagues, our allies and partners can count on the United States and can count on President Trump.”
France, one of several countries to request the emergency session, called the escalation by the US and Israel against Iran “dangerous for everyone” and urged de-escalation, yet Jérôme Bonnafont, the ambassador to the UN, sharply criticized Iran’s lack of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency to allow monitoring and inspection of its nuclear weapons program. Britain denied taking part in the strikes on Iran and condemned its retaliatory attacks across many countries in the region.
D.C. in the rearview mirror
Richard Gowan, the program director of global issues and institutions at the International Crisis Group think tank, said there was a growing reality among European countries to see every crisis through the lens of keeping Washington engaged in their regional security — namely the effects of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.
When the US swept into Venezuela in the middle of the night on Jan. 3 to capture its president at the time, Nicolás Maduro, the Council met immediately after the news broke. At the time, many European members voiced soft or indirect condemnations if at all, but strongly worded criticism came mostly from China, Pakistan and Russia.
Although Guterres withheld a full-throttled condemnation of the US military operation in Venezuela at the time, he was more direct in the Council on Iran, citing Article 2 of the UN Charter, which says that all members “shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”
“That is why since this morning, I have condemned the massive military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran,” he added. “I also condemned the subsequent attacks by Iran violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.”
Europeans’ attempts to keep Washington engaged in their own backyard, Gowan said, “vastly reduces their leeway to criticize U.S. actions in other arenas.”
“That said,” he added, “I think it is also fair to note that the Europeans who have been involved in diplomacy with Iran, like the [British] and France, have been increasingly frustrated by what they see as Tehran’s refusal to make constructive steps out of the crisis, as well as by the domestic crackdown. So they may not like US policy, but they have limited sympathy for the Iranian government too.”
Guterres laid out the casualties that had been reported in the hours after the strike, saying that roughly 20 Iranian cities were hit, “at least” 85 students were killed at a girls’ school and large explosions were documented around the compound of the Iranian Supreme leader in Tehran. Guterres did not confirm the death of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but a Truth Social post from Trump said he had been killed, writing “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead.” The Iranian government has not confirmed the information, but some media are reporting his death.
Guterres also pointed out another loss from the Feb. 28 military blow in Iran. “The US and Israeli attacks occurred following the third round of indirect talks between the US and Iran mediated by Oman,” he said. “Preparations had been made for technical talks in Vienna next week followed by a new round of political talks.
I deeply regret that this opportunity of diplomacy has been squandered.”
We welcome your comments on this article. What are your thoughts on the US-Israeli assault on Iran?
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Damilola Banjo is an award-winning staff reporter for PassBlue who has covered a wide range of topics, from Africa-centered stories to gender equality to UN peacekeeping and US-UN relations. She also oversees all video production for PassBlue. She was a Dag Hammarskjold fellow in 2023 and a Pulitzer Center postgraduate fellow in 2021. She was part of the BBC Africa team that produced the Emmy-nominated documentary, “Sex for Grades.” In addition, she worked for WFAE, an NPR affiliate in Charlotte, N.C. Banjo has a master’s of science degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and an undergraduate degree from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.
Damilola, indeed this meeting was a very challenging one where the aggressors and perpetrators (Israel and United States of America) and the victim (Iran) are condemned at the same time by the UN Secretary General and multiple countries with the exception of Russia and China. Let us be honest: why the US and Israel have transformed the mediator Oman into a liar by starting a war while negotiations were ongoing between them and Iran with the facilitation of Oman? Also Iran has not attacked any neighbouring country but the assets of the US in these neighboring countries especially military bases and of course Israel which attacked Israel first! Iran has the fundamental right to defend itself, its legitimate and inherent right