The United Nations Security Council will convene an emergency meeting Friday at 10:00 p.m. local time at Iran’s request, following the IDF’s large-scale strike on dozens of nuclear and military targets across the Islamic Republic. The operation, dubbed “Rising Lion,” also resulted in the killing of several senior Iranian officials.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, is expected to address the session and defend Israel’s actions. “Dozens of discussions, summits and declarations have done nothing to stop Iran’s nuclear arms race,” Danon said ahead of the meeting in New York.
“Israel’s operation neutralized the threat and made the world a safer place. Anyone criticizing Israel is ignoring reality and burying their head in the sand.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who formally requested the Security Council meeting, vowed retaliation for what he described as Israel’s “unlawful act of aggression.” In a letter to council members, Araghchi warned that Israel “will deeply regret” its actions and urged the body to “strongly condemn” the strike and take “urgent and concrete measures to hold the Israeli regime fully accountable for its crimes.
Despite Iran’s appeal, the Security Council is not expected to take action against Israel—largely due to the United States’ veto power. U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly supported Israel’s strike and praised its execution. European powers have also refrained from condemning the move, stressing Israel’s right to self-defense in light of the Iranian nuclear threat.
The meeting comes a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) made a rare announcement—its first in 20 years—saying that Iran is in violation of its nuclear oversight commitments.
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Ahead of the Security Council session, the leaders of the UK, France and Germany issued a joint call for restraint. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz discussed the situation in a phone call.
“The leaders expressed deep and ongoing concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and urged all parties to avoid further escalation, which could destabilize the region even more,” Starmer’s office said.
In his letter to the Security Council, Araghchi called the Israeli operation “state terrorism” and accused Israel of a “reckless and deliberate escalation that flagrantly violates the Charter of the United Nations and the most fundamental norms of international law.”
He added, “Israel has launched a coordinated series of military assaults targeting several Iranian cities, and its peaceful nuclear facilities, senior military officials, scientists and civilians.”
He reiterated Iran’s vow to respond: “The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms its inherent right to self-defense as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter and will respond decisively and proportionately to these unlawful and cowardly acts. The Islamic Republic of Iran will act with full resolve to protect its sovereignty, its people, and its national security.”