Iran tells UN Israel attack was ‘self-defense,’ had ‘no choice’
Iranian Ambassador to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani looks toward Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan (not pictured) during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including Iran’s recent attack against Israel, at UN headquarters in New York City on April 14, 2024. – World leaders urged restraint on April 14 after Israel came under an unprecedented attack from Iranian drones and missiles that drew widespread condemnation and sparked fears of a broader conflict. The UN Security Council emergency meeting was requested by Israel. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
UNITED NATIONS, United States, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – Iran’s United Nations envoy told the Security Council Sunday that the Islamic republic was exercising its “inherent right to self-defense” in its unprecedented attack on Israel.
“The Security Council… failed in its duty to maintain international peace and security” after Israel’s apparent strike on an Iranian consulate in Damascus earlier this month, Amir Saeid Iravani said.
Therefore, Tehran “had no choice” but to respond, he said, adding that his country does “not seek escalation or war,” but will respond to any “threat or aggression.”