New York: After an emergency meeting of the polarized Security Council heard Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning that “the Middle East is on the brink”, the only consensus was that tensions there should not escalate further. “The message at the council table was very clear that there should be no further escalation. “Everyone was on the same page on this,” council President Vanessa Frazier told reporters after the meeting on Iran’s foiled large-scale attack on Israel. At the meeting, hastily called at Israel’s request, less than 24 hours after Saturday’s attack using a fleet of missiles and drones, Israel and Iran traded accusations, with the US and Britain strongly condemning Iran, and Russia criticizing Tehran. defended.
Undeterred by its differences, the council took no action and the meeting was merely an opportunity to vent anger. However, opinion coalesced around Guterres’ call to “step back from the brink”. “It is important to avoid any action that could lead to a major military confrontation on multiple fronts in the Middle East,” he said while briefing the council on Iran’s attack. The people of the region face the real threat of devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to unwind and reduce stress. Now is the time to exercise maximum restraint,” he said.
The issue of capture of Israeli-owned ship Aries by Iran came up during the meeting, with several countries demanding the release of the crew, including Indians. Israel’s permanent representative Gilad Erdan asked the council not only to condemn the attack but also to impose tough sanctions on Iran for pursuing its nuclear program.
He said almost all of the missiles and drones were destroyed by Israel and its allies before they could strike their targets, but the failure of the attack should not mean that Tehran has not been punished for the attack. Showing a video on his tablet, Erdan said it showed Israel neutralizing missiles and drones over Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest Muslim shrines, and said Tehran was seeking Shiite dominance. Is targeting the holy places of Islam.
Iran’s Permanent Representative Amir Saeed Iravani said Tehran was exercising its right to self-defense under the UN charter to attack Israel after it attacked its diplomatic mission in Syria and killed its personnel. His country decided to attack Israel only because the Council did not take action against it. US Deputy Representative Robert Wood said his country was “not trying to escalate”, but he also “supports Israel’s exercise of its inherent right to defend itself in the face of this attack”.
He said strong condemnation by the Iran Council and its representatives is the safest way to prevent escalating tensions in the Middle East. Wood refuted Iran’s claims of self-defense, listing several actions it has taken across the region and saying, “These, and other reckless Iranian actions, are not inherently defensive actions”. Russia’s Permanent Representative Vasily Nebenzia accused the US and its allies of having double standards regarding Iran because they considered the attack on the diplomatic mission a justification for war under international law. For you everything relating to Western missions and Western citizens is sacred and must be protected. But when it comes to other states, their citizens and their rights, including the right to self-defense, it is different,” he said.
The West had halted action over Israel’s attack on the Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria, he said. “What happened on the night of April 14 did not happen suddenly. “Iran’s steps were a response to the shameful inaction of the UN Security Council over Israel’s blatant attack on Damascus,” he said. “The situation in the Middle East has become so heated and there is a risk of the conflict escalating to a region-wide confrontation, so we call on all parties involved in the incident to exercise restraint,” Nebenzia said. The council has scheduled an open debate on the situation in Palestine that all member states can attend on Thursday following the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 23,000 people, surpassing the half-yearly toll. Israel’s attack was in retaliation for a Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 that killed more than 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage.
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2024-04-16 20:55:49