US warns Iran, calls on Security Council to condemn attack on Israel

The U.S. warned that Iran “will be held responsible” if it attempted further military action against Israel or the U.S. during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Sunday.

“The United States is not seeking escalation,” said U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood. “Our actions have been purely defensive in nature.”

The U.S. called on the Security Council to condemn Iran’s attack on Israel on Saturday. Wood echoed U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who briefed the council during Sunday’s emergency session.

“It’s time to step back from the brink,” Guterres said. “We have a shared responsibility to actively engage all parties concerned to prevent further escalation.”

Russia and Iran criticized the calls for de-escalation as hypocritical, pointing out that the U.S., U.K. and France blocked a Russian-penned Security Council press statement earlier this month that would have condemned Israel’s apparent airstrike on Iran’s consulate in Syria.

We’re witnessing “a display of hypocrisy and double standards which is almost embarrassing to watch,” said Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s United Nations envoy.

The emergency session did not yield an official statement from the Security Council, but Vanessa Frazier of Malta, which holds the UNSC presidency this month, told reporters after the meeting that she believed the session contributed to deescalating heightened tensions in the region.

“The message around the Council table was very, very clear — that there should be no further escalation,” Frazier said.

Iran’s long-anticipated airstrike on Israel on Saturday ratchets up tensions in the region, as the U.S. tows a line between its support for Israel while avoiding an escalation in the region.

American officials are urging Israel to exercise restraint in its response, with President Joe Biden telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. would not join an Israeli counter-strike.

Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani said on Sunday that Tehran wants to avoid the expansion of conflict, but would defend itself if the U.S. initiated military operations against Iran.

Iran’s airstrike was almost entirely thwarted by Israel’s air defense systems, which were bolstered by its collaboration with allies the U.S., Britain and France. Jordan also intercepted drones and missiles that went into its airspace, Reuters reported. Some U.S. officials saw the attack as a way for Iran to save face and that Tehran did not want an escalation.