US, Israel violated UN Charter, Russia tells UN Security Council

US envoy to UN says the attack on Iran's nuclear sites was consistent with UN charter.

"These strikes, in accordance with the inherent right to self-defense, collective self- defense, consistent with the UN Charter, aimed to mitigate the threat posed by Iran to Israel, the region, and to more broadly international peace and security," Ambassador Rosemary Anne DiCarlo told Security Council on Tuesday.

"Following this historic operation, President Trump immediately coordinated a ceasefire between Israel and Iran," she added.

"We must all urge Iran to seize this opportunity for peace and prosperity and abide by its international obligations."

Air defenses shot down several drones over the city of Rasht in northern Iran, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported on Tuesday night, citing the deputy governor of Gilan province.

"Parts of Rasht came under attack by drones, which were identified and destroyed by the air defense system," he said according to ISNA, urging residents to report "any suspicious activity, unfamiliar individuals, or unusual movements" to the authorities.

The report did not provide further details about the source of the drones.

"We removed two immediate existential threats — a nuclear threat and a ballistic missile threat, Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address on Tuesday.

:If we had not acted, we would soon be facing the danger of annihilation," he added.

“(This) victory will be remembered for generations."

Netanyahu praised US president Donald Trump for backing Israel "in an unprecedented way."

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said his country had delivered a “severe blow” to Iran’s military leadership and dismantled key strategic sites, removing what he called an imminent threat.

Speaking ahead of the UN Security Council session on Iran’s nuclear proliferation, Danon confirmed Israel had agreed to a ceasefire “in full coordination with President Trump", and thanked the US for its support.

He said Israel remains open to diplomacy but warned that any future threat “will be met with a forceful response.”

An early US intelligence assessment suggests that the US bombing of Iran's three key nuclear sites (Fordo, Natanz, Isfahan) did not destroy the core components of Tehran's nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing three people briefed on it.

"This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong," CNN quoted White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt as saying.