Iran's Actions Shouldn’t Go Unanswered - US At UN Security Council

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for maximum restraint on Sunday after Iran's attack on Israel, as he reminded members of the world body that acts of reprisal involving the use of force are barred under international law.

"The Middle East is on the brink. The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate," Guterres told a meeting of the UN Security Council.

His comments contrast with the official Iranian position for years arguing that Tehran's pursuit of nuclear technology is for "purely peaceful purposes."

Laylaz, an economist, journalist, and professor at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, claimed the statement is a "clear warning to Americans." He also underlined the fact that “Iran’s hands are never tied when it comes to national security issues."

His comments are far distanced from the regime’s repeated assurances to the world, anchored in the "nuclear fatwa" of the Supreme Leader, that Iran has no ambition to make nuclear weapons.

"We believe that besides nuclear weapons, other types of weapons of mass destruction such as chemical and biological weapons also pose a serious threat to humanity. The Iranian nation … feels more than any other nation the danger that is caused by the production and stockpiling of such weapons… We consider the use of such weapons as haram [forbidden] and believe that everyone must make efforts to secure humanity against this great disaster,” Khamenei said in a statement to the nuclear disarmament conference in 2010. However, many argue that this was not a fatwa, but a statement by a head of state.

The fatwa has been one of the central elements of Iran's defense, especially in its nuclear diplomacy, and most notably during the negotiations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) from 2013 to 2015.

The attack exposed Iran's true colors, he said in an exclusive interview, underlining that when Tehran’s proxies failed to achieve their objectives, the Iranian regime resorted to a direct assault.

Hagari highlighted that 99 percent of Iran’s projectiles were intercepted, debunking the Islamic Republic’s claims about hitting targets in Israel. Hagari also pointed out that the only place Iran’s ballistic missiles reached was Nevatim Airbase, where “a small number” of missiles caused “a minor damage” and did not even halt the operation of the base. “We can show it live” that Israeli planes are departing from the base patrolling Israel’s airspace.

“Zero UAVs and cruise missiles entered Israel,” he said, confirming earlier reports that most of the projectiles had been intercepted before entering the Israeli airspace. “Only a handful of ballistic missiles” hit the Nevatim airbase and its surrounding areas. “This is all their capability.”

Differentiating between “the regime in Iran” and “the people of Iran,” Hagari said that the IRGC and its extraterritorial Quds force wasted a significant amount of Iranians' money on the attack. He further criticized Iran's misuse of resources, stating that the attack again highlighted how Iranian public funds are squandered on terrorism, rather than being invested in the nation's development and its citizens' well-being.

He also addressed the propaganda campaign by the regime about the attack, calling on the Islamic Republic not to "sell lies and fake videos to the people of Iran.” “You are wasting their money and their resources.”

The Iranian people know that the regime is lying, he pointed that, adding that the building targeted in Iran's embassy compound in Damascus was a base for the IRGC-Quds Force and not a diplomatic building. How come no diplomat was killed in the attack on the so-called consulate building, he asked.

Israel and all its partners are ready to defend Israel against Iran and its proxy forces, he said. “The strategic partnership between Israel and the US is ironclad,” he highlighted, referring to US President Joe Biden’s remarks.

Israel’s response will be demonstrably forceful, Hagari asserted, emphasizing action over rhetoric. "We will take all necessary measures to safeguard our national interests and the security of the Israeli people."

Iran launched more than 350 drones, ballistic and cruise missiles towards Israel Saturday/Sunday night local time, marking the first such attack in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Although the massive strike launched mostly from inside Iranian territory caused little damage, the risk of an Israeli response escalating into a full-blown war looms large.

The attack was anticipated given Iran's threats and warnings to retaliate against Israel's targeting of Iran’s consulate in Damascus on April 1. Intelligence assessments had predicted an imminent and significant strike.

Follow developments on Iran International's Live coverage of ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel.

The IDF says a “suspicious aerial target” — believed to be a drone launched from Yemen — was downed by a ship-mounted Iron Dome system, known as C-Dome, in the Eilat area.

The target entered Israeli airspace from the direction of the Red Sea, and was tracked by the military until it was successfully shot down by one of the Navy’s Sa’ar 6-class corvettes, the IDF says.

The ministry's director for western Europe, Majid Nili Ahmadabadi, accused the three European states of showing "double standards", referring to their rejection of a Russian draft at the UN Security Council to condemn Israel over its alleged airstrike on an Iranian consulate in Syria earlier this month.

"Iran's military action against the Zionist regime's [Israeli] bases is well within the framework of the right to legitimate defense stipulated in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and it is in response to a series of crimes, including the recent attack on the embassy compound in Syria," the official told the Iranian Labor News Agency. The strike in Damascus killed two commanders and several other IRGC personnel.

The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock responded quickly after the attacks were launched from Iran on Saturday night, the country's first direct strike towards Israel, claiming that the Iranian bombardment of over 350 projectiles towards the Jewish state had brought the Middle East "to the edge of a precipice". She said Tehran had "plunged an entire region into chaos".

French President Emmanuel Macron was also quick to condemn Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel. “I condemn in the strongest terms the unprecedented attack launched by Iran,” he wrote on X. “I express my solidarity with the Israeli people and France's commitment to the security of Israel, our partners, and regional stability,” he added.

According to the Israeli military spokesman, France was also involved in the coalition helping thwart the Iranian onslaught. Daniel Hagari said France "has very good technology and jets and radars, and they were contributing in patrolling in airspace".

In the UK, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak revealed that British fighter jets had shot down Iranian drones. "I can confirm our planes did shoot down a number of Iranian attack drones," he said, underscoring that Britain had taken an active role in helping Israel and other allies push back the strikes.