U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz confronted [1] Iran’s top diplomat during a tense United Nations Security Council session Saturday, hours after the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
The emergency meeting was convened after the joint military campaign targeted Iranian assets.
As the session neared its conclusion, Waltz and Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir-Saeid Iravani, exchanged sharp remarks following Tehran’s accusation that Washington had violated international law and risked igniting a broader regional conflict.
“I advise to the representative of the United States to be polite,” Iravani said during the session.
“It will be better for yourself and the country you represent.”
Waltz responded directly.
“This representative sits here, in this body, representing a regime that has killed tens of thousands of its own people, and imprisoned many more, simply for wanting freedom from your entire tyranny.”
Earlier in the meeting, Waltz defended the U.S. military action as lawful. He stated that Washington acted to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to safeguard global security interests.
The session also featured remarks from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who criticized the strikes and warned of escalating instability.
“We are witnessing a grave threat to international peace and security,” Guterres said.
He argued that the United States and Israel had violated international law and the UN Charter by carrying out the operation and called for an immediate ceasefire.
“Let me be clear, there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of international disputes,” Guterres said.
He urged a return to negotiations to “pull the region, and our world, back from the brink.”
Guterres also condemned Iran’s retaliatory actions, stating that Tehran had violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran launched missiles and drones at U.S. bases and facilities across the Middle East and carried out counterattacks on Israel. The retaliatory strikes included attacks impacting multiple nations in the region, according to remarks made during the UN session.
The Secretary-General cautioned that continued escalation could lead to uncontrollable instability in what he described as the world’s “most volatile region.”
President Trump said Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the joint airstrikes carried out under Operation Epic Fury.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that 40 top Iranian officials were killed during the operation.
Among those reported killed was the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The emergency Security Council meeting brought together representatives from member states as the situation unfolded.
The exchange between Waltz and Iravani marked one of the most pointed moments of the session, reflecting the diplomatic fallout from the military campaign.
Tehran’s delegation maintained that the U.S. action constituted a breach of international law and heightened the risk of a wider regional war.
Washington’s representative countered that the operation was designed to prevent further threats and defend security interests.
The developments followed coordinated airstrikes that targeted senior Iranian leadership and military officials.
The reported death of Khamenei and other top figures represented a significant escalation in the long-running tensions between Iran, the United States and Israel.