Iran has accused the United States of deliberately sabotaging diplomatic efforts through its recent airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Speaking at an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Sunday, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani declared that the Iranian military would determine the “timing, nature, and scale” of a proportionate response to the US attacks.
Iravani said the strikes, which targeted three of Iran’s nuclear sites, were a clear indication that the US had abandoned diplomacy. “Iran had repeatedly warned the warmongering US regime to avoid stepping into this trap,” he said.
Reaffirming Iran’s stance, he added, “We will take all necessary measures” in response to the aggression.
The Iranian envoy also pointed fingers at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming that he had manipulated US President Donald Trump into advancing Western interests through military means. According to Iravani, Netanyahu had effectively hijacked American foreign policy and “dragged the United States into yet another costly and baseless war.”
He labelled the joint actions by the US and Israel as “a blatant and severe violation of international law.”
Referring to Iran’s ongoing diplomatic outreach, Iravani noted that even as Iran’s foreign minister engaged in talks with several European leaders earlier in the week, the US chose to derail those efforts with military strikes.
Challenging Western narratives, he asked, “What conclusion can be drawn from this situation?” He then added, quoting Iran’s foreign minister, “The West insists that Iran must return to the negotiating table — but how can we return to something we never left in the first place?”
