Amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeed Irawani said that all bases and assets of hostile forces in the region are considered legitimate military targets under Iran’s right of self-defense.
He added that Iran would continue to defend itself until the aggression ends while remaining committed to respecting the sovereignty of its neighbors, and accused Israel of involving the United States in the conflict with Iran.
He made the remarks during an emergency special session of the Security Council held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Saturday (local time) to discuss the situation in Iran and the Middle East.
Israel “succeeded in dragging the United States into a war with Iran,” Iravani said.
He said: “All bases, facilities and assets of hostile forces in the region should be regarded as legitimate military targets within the framework of Iran’s legitimate exercise of self-defense. Iran will continue to exercise its right of self-defense decisively and non-repeatedly until the aggression is completely and unequivocally stopped. Iran remains firmly committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors.”
According to Al Jazeera, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting at 08:00 on Monday to discuss the US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
The meeting, held at Russia’s request, comes ahead of the committee’s already scheduled quarterly meetings, where Iran’s nuclear program will be discussed. Diplomats noted that unlike the U.S. attack last year, Iran’s nuclear facilities were not targeted in Saturday’s attack, Al Jazeera reported.
The United States and Israel carried out joint missile attacks on Iran on Saturday, with reports of massive explosions in Tehran and other major cities, signaling a dramatic escalation that threatens to expand tensions into a wider Middle East conflict.
Meanwhile, Iran has retaliated, targeting Israeli and U.S. assets in several Gulf states. Multiple explosions occurred in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and at several other locations across the country.
Senior Israeli officials learned late Saturday that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran, the Jerusalem Post reported.
According to the report, senior Israeli officials also learned that the body of Iran’s supreme leader was found under the rubble left by the air strike.
