Iran has threatened Israel with a forceful response in the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, should the Jewish state employ force against the Islamic Republic.
This declaration comes as the UN Secretary-General calls for utmost restraint from all parties involved.
During a debate on the Middle East in the UN Security Council in New York, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian stated that Israel must be deterred from "further military adventurism" against Iran's interests. He warned that if Israel were to use any force against Iran, his country would not hesitate to exercise its right to respond decisively and appropriately, a response that Israel would regret.
At the beginning of the discussion, Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan questioned the Iranian Foreign Minister's presence in the UN chamber. He accused the Iranian diplomat of mocking those present and suggested that his participation in the meeting illustrated that Iran could attack a UN member state with impunity on one day, and then educate the attendees on human and international rights issues on another.
UN Secretary-General
António Guterres spoke about the need to halt the cycle of retaliation and urged the international community to work together to prevent actions that could plunge the entire Middle East into chaos, with devastating effects on civilians.
Hossein Amirabdollahian arrived in the United States for the UN meeting, but his movements are severely restricted by the American authorities. According to US government officials, the Iranian diplomat is only allowed to move one block west of the UN headquarters and must stay within seven blocks in a north-south direction. Additionally, he can visit Iran's permanent UN mission and has designated routes to and from the airport for his arrival and departure.