Sun Jun 22 22:10:19 UTC 2025: **Headline: UN Security Council Divided After US Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Sites**

**Summary:**

The UN Security Council convened an emergency session following US-led strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, revealing deep divisions among member states. The US and Israel defended the military action, while Iran and its allies, including Russia, China, and Pakistan, strongly condemned the attacks and called for an immediate ceasefire.

**Full Article:**

**New York, NY** – Tensions flared at the United Nations Security Council as member states clashed over the recent US-led strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The emergency session, called in response to the military action, highlighted a stark divide between the US and its allies, and those nations condemning the attacks as a dangerous escalation of conflict in the Middle East.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the region was “on the brink of a deadly downward spiral,” urging immediate action to halt the fighting and return to negotiations on the Iran nuclear program.

The US, represented by Acting Ambassador Dorothy Shea, defended the strikes as necessary to protect its interests and those of its allies, claiming the action was taken to dismantle Iran’s enrichment capacity. She warned Iran against any retaliatory measures, promising “devastating retaliation” for any attacks against Americans or American bases.

Iran’s Ambassador Ali Bahreini accused the US and Israel of “politically motivated actions,” blaming them for destroying diplomacy. He declared that the Iranian military would decide the timing and nature of its response.

Israel’s UN envoy, Danny Danon, asserted that the attacks had made the world “a safer place” and dismissed calls for condemnation, stating that the future of the Iranian regime was for the Iranian people to decide.

Russia, China, and Pakistan have jointly proposed a resolution demanding an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire.” While the resolution avoids explicitly naming the US or Israel, it condemns the attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. However, the resolution faces an almost certain veto from the US, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council.

Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong condemned the strikes and urged restraint, expressing deep concern about the situation spiraling out of control. Russian envoy Vasily Nebenzya accused the US of disregarding global norms, stating that it had “opened a Pandora’s box.” Pakistan’s Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad voiced solidarity with Iran and called the US bombing “deeply troubling.”

The timing of the strikes came just a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors approved a resolution declaring Iran non-compliant with its international nuclear safeguards commitments. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi informed the Council that impact craters were visible at the Fordow enrichment site, and entrances to tunnels at Isfahan appeared to have been struck.

Iran has criticized Grossi for allegedly paving the way for the attacks. The future remains uncertain as the Security Council grapples with the fallout from the strikes and the potential for further escalation in the region.

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