UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Israel-Iran tensions

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday following Israeli strikes on several of Iran’s strategic nuclear facilities, resulting in the deaths of multiple high-ranking military personnel, nuclear scientists, and civilians.

“The UN Security Council will meet in an emergency session this afternoon on Iran,” the United Kingdom’s official mission to the UN confirmed in a post on X.

Iran had requested the council meet.

“The Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations has submitted an urgent letter to the Security Council - signed by our Foreign Minister - vehemently condemning the Israeli regime’s unlawful and reckless attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, as well as the targeted assassinations of senior officials and innocent civilians,” Iran’s UN mission stated in a post on X. 

The letter asked the council to “strongly condemn this act of aggression.”

It also said Iran has the right to self-defense and “will respond decisively and proportionately.”

Russia has also requested an emergency meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna before Monday, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.