UN Security Council holds emergency meeting on Iran

UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on Thursday regarding the situation in Iran, with many members calling for de-escalation and opposing the use or threat of force against Iran.

At the meeting, which the United States requested, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz threatened to use force against Iran, saying that "all options are on the table."

Iranian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Gholamhossein Darzi said his country will not yield to external pressure. "Iran seeks neither escalation nor confrontation. However, any act of aggression, direct or indirect, will be met with a decisive, proportionate, and lawful response under Article 51 of the (UN) Charter," he said.

Sun Lei, the charge d'affaires of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, said that any military adventurism "would only push the region toward an unpredictable abyss."

"We urge the United States to abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, abandon its fixation on the use of force," said Sun, calling on all parties to exercise restraint and work together to play their due role in maintaining international peace and security.

History has repeatedly proved that an obsession with force, relentless pressure and wanton interference only generate more conflict and hatred, said Sun, adding that no country has the power to dictate the future of another and no action that defies international law can be tolerated.

Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that his country condemns all forms of external interference, incitement to violence and threats of the use of force against Iran.

The "extremely dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric" in recent days by the U.S. leadership has gone as far as openly calling for the takeover of the state institutions of Iran, which amounts to "nothing other than incitement to violently overthrow the constitutional order of a sovereign state," he said.

What is most concerning is Washington's aggressive course toward the use of military force and threats of its use against Iran, he said, urging the "hotheads" in the United States and other countries to "come to their senses."

Pakistani UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad warned against the use of force or unilateral actions, noting that all disputes must be resolved through peaceful means and in accordance with international law.

"The threat or use of force would only aggravate the situation and undermine regional and international peace and stability," he said.

Liberian UN Ambassador Lewis Garseedah Brown II, who spoke on behalf of the three African members of the Security Council -- the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Somalia -- called on all parties to refrain from rhetoric or actions that would escalate tensions.

Colombian UN Ambassador Leonor Zalabata Torres said that any rhetoric or action that aims to escalate the situation, including the threat of the unilateral use of force, "brings with it grave risks to the stability of a region already marked by a high degree of volatility."