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.
