The United States and Iran clashed at the UN Security Council on Thursday as US Ambassador Michael Waltz warned that President Donald Trump’s patience was “not unlimited” in the face of Iranian attacks on its Arab neighbors and commercial shipping.
The Security Council's meeting followed Iran's drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait over the weekend, and its attacks on commercial vessels in or near the Strait of Hormuz, incidents that have threatened the June 17 memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US.
Ambassador Waltz said Iran had continued attacks despite diplomatic efforts and accused it of disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in violation of its MoU commitments.
“I cannot stress enough the possibility of real transformative positive opportunity for the nation and people of Iran is on the table,” Waltz said, adding: “But President Trump’s patience is not unlimited.”
He said Iran "cannot, and we cannot allow it to, hold the world’s economy hostage," urging Tehran to stop attacks on its neighbors and keep the international waterway open.
Bahrain’s foreign minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani, in turn, accused Iran of "deliberately" targeting civilian facilities, critical infrastructure and residential areas, resulting in the deaths of three innocent civilians and injuries to 465 others during its attacks on the Arab state.
Iran’s representative rejected the US and Bahraini statements as baseless and accused Washington and its allies of trying to silence Tehran’s position at the council. But Waltz pushed back sharply.
“Let me remind you where you are. This is not Tehran. This is the United States of America. This is the United Nations Security Council. You will not silence this body,” Waltz responded.
Waltz displayed photographs of damage in Bahrain, asking whether civilians, hotel guests and first responders hit by Iranian strikes were “lying.”
He rejected Iran’s claim of self-defense, saying the closure of international waterways and attacks on Singaporean and Panamanian-flagged vessels could not be justified under the UN Charter.
“It is a cynical, sad, and sick attempt at global blackmail. Plain and simple,” Waltz said.
Iran’s representative responded that 10 regional countries, including Bahrain, had facilitated US and Israeli attacks by allowing their territory and airspace to be used.
“I think that it should be clear for our neighboring countries that the presence of American bases in their countries not only does not bring security to their countries but also make their countries vulnerable,” Amir-Saeed Iravani said.
He also accused Washington of blocking international vessels from reaching Iranian ports.
Al-Zayani rejected Iran’s arguments, saying Security Council Resolution 2817 had already condemned Iranian attacks on neighboring states and threats to international navigation.
Addressing the same meeting, UN Assistant Secretary-General Elizabeth Spehar said the Secretary-General welcomed the joint decision by the United States and Iran “to de-escalate and exercise restraint,” saying the MoU offered “a measure of hope that dialogue and diplomacy can regain momentum."
Diplomatic efforts to implement the June 17 memorandum remain under strain following two days of talks in Doha, which covered frozen assets, the Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon.
The talks paused on July 1 and are expected to resume after funeral processions for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, set to begin in Tehran on July 4 and end with his burial in Mashhad on July 9.
Iran’s sports and youth minister said multiple complaints had been filed against the United States and FIFA over what he described as unequal conditions for teams at the 2026 World Cup.
“Unfortunately, the host country did not properly carry out its legal duties, and we were not placed in equal conditions,” Ahmad Donyamali said.
“This conduct by the host country led to many objections, and several complaints were filed against the United States’ hosting and also against FIFA,” he added.
Donyamali said some of the complaints were public and were being pursued by lawyers, sports figures, fans and former football stars.
“The host had an obligation to create equal conditions for all countries,” he said.
Pakistan’s foreign minister and his Saudi counterpart discussed the regional situation and recent mediation efforts between the United States and Iran in Doha, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a post on X on Wednesday.
Ishaq Dar and Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud expressed satisfaction with positive progress in the negotiations and hoped discussions would continue soon, the ministry said.
Prince Faisal also praised Pakistan’s efforts to implement the Islamabad MoU between Iran and the United States and its role in advancing dialogue and promoting lasting regional peace.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that US Central Command had brought insecurity to the region, after CENTCOM said it led a regional security dialogue with defense leaders from 12 nations in Bahrain.
“Has CENTCOM brought security or insecurity to our region? The answer is clear,” Araghchi said in a post on X.
“Our Powerful Armed Forces have proven that outsiders cannot even protect themselves,” he added.
Araghchi said peace in the region could only be sustained if it was “comprehensive and inclusive, with no outside interference.”
Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continued to rebound last week despite Iranian strikes on two commercial vessels, though crossings remained far below pre-war levels, the Associated Press reported Thursday, citing Lloyd’s List Intelligence and Windward.
At least 258 ships transited the waterway last week, up from 138 the previous week, according to marine data and analysis company Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
Traffic has slowed since Iranian strikes on June 25 and 27, but at least 80 more ships passed through the strait from Monday to Wednesday, according to Lloyd’s and shipping data and analysis firm Windward.
Iran’s attacks “seem to have been forgotten,” Richard Meade, editor-in-chief at Lloyd’s, said during a webinar Thursday.
Before the war, about 130 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day, the report said.