UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting as US, Israel attack Iran – National
The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting hours after the United States and Israel carried out major military strikes on Iran.
“The Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today under the agenda item, ‘Situation in the Middle East.’ The Secretary-General is expected to give a brief speech,” said a statement from the UN’s Department of Politics and Peacebuilding, adding that the meeting will start at four in the afternoon in Mpumalanga.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the “use of force,” adding that the action was inconsistent with the UN Charter.
“I condemn today’s military escalation in the Middle East. The use of force by the United States and Israel against Iran, and Iran’s subsequent retaliation across the region, undermines international peace and security,” he said in a statement.
The first strikes on Saturday morning appeared to target the home of Iran’s 86-year-old supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the city of Tehran. A source familiar with the matter previously told Reuters that Khamenei was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a safe place.
Tehran responded by firing missiles at Israel; explosions erupted in nearby Gulf Arab oil-producing countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar, Reuters reported. Tehran had warned that it would attack the region if attacked.
The other four permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, Russia, France and the UK – all reacted to the US strikes on Saturday.
Russia, which shares several key strategic interests with Iran, released a statement from its foreign ministry saying the US and Israel had “begun a dangerous course.”
Get daily world news
Get the day’s top news, politics, economics, and current affairs, delivered to your inbox once a day.
“This is a deliberate, planned, and unintended act of aggression against a sovereign and independent UN member state, in direct violation of the principles and principles of international law,” the statement said.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing was “deeply concerned” about the attack on Iran, adding that Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity must be respected.
“China demands an immediate cessation of military operations, no further escalation of tensions, resumption of talks and negotiations, and efforts to promote peace and stability in the Middle East,” the statement read.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the situation “dangerous.”
“The outbreak of war between the United States, Israel, and Iran has serious consequences for international peace and security,” he said.
British Prime Minister Kier Starmer said in a video statement that his country “did not play a role in these strikes.”
“But we’ve been clear for a long time – the Iranian regime is absolutely disgusting,” he said.
The UK is strengthening its defense capabilities in the region because of the current situation, he said.
“Our forces are active and British aircraft are in the skies today as part of joint regional defense operations to protect our people, our interests and our partners – as Britain has done before, in accordance with international law,” he said.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
