U.S. Defends Iran Strikes at UN, Urges Council to Confront Tehran’s Nuclear Threat
U.S. defends Iran strikes as necessary to counter nuclear threat and regional destabilization. Ambassador Shea warns against retaliation, urges UN to hold Tehran accountable for violations. Stresses action was lawful self-defense under UN Charter amid escalating tensions.
By Ahora Qadi
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In the emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea defended the American airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, describing the action as a decisive response to a mounting threat posed by the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions and its decades-long sponsorship of regional instability.
The strikes, which targeted nuclear enrichment sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, aimed to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities and “eliminate a long-standing but rapidly escalating source of global insecurity,” Shea stated, while reaffirming Washington’s unwavering commitment to Israel and its own national defense under the UN Charter’s principle of collective self-defense.
Washington Blames Iran for Escalation and Deaths
“Iran’s government and its proxies have killed numerous Americans, including U.S. service members in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Shea told the Council, adding that Tehran has for decades fueled instability and conflict through missile attacks, proxy militias, and inflammatory rhetoric targeting both the U.S. and Israel.
She condemned Iran’s longstanding obstruction of nuclear oversight efforts and claimed Tehran continues to accelerate its nuclear program “without any credible civilian justification,” as highlighted in the latest International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verification reports.
Warning Against Retaliation
Echoing President Donald Trump’s earlier statement, Shea warned that any Iranian retaliation—direct or through proxies—would be met with “devastating retaliation,” underscoring America’s readiness to act again if provoked.
Call for UN Action
Ambassador Shea urged Security Council members to confront Iran’s actions and hold the regime accountable. “This council must call upon the Iranian regime to end its forty-seven year effort to eradicate the State of Israel, to terminate its drive for nuclear weapons, and to negotiate peace in good faith,” she asserted.
Looking ahead to the upcoming briefing on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which governs the Iran nuclear deal, Shea pointed to Iran’s growing noncompliance as an urgent challenge for international security.
“We look forward to discussing the implications of the IAEA’s findings,” she said, emphasizing the need for the international community to address Iran’s violations decisively.
Amid intensifying global diplomatic rifts, the U.S. firmly positioned itself as a defender of preemptive action, calling on the Security Council to recognize Iran as a persistent violator of international norms and a source of destabilization in the Middle East.
