Guterres regrets opportunity for diplomacy 'squandered'; Iran trades barb with US, Israel at Security Council meeting

The United Nations Security Council has begun an emergency meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York in the wake of US-Israel attacks on Iran, which Iran has responded to with strikes at US bases in countries across the region.

Addressing the session, being chaired by Britain, which started on Saturday afternoon (New York time), Iran accused the US and Israel of 'war crime', while the US said it is taking 'lawful actions'.

According to Reuters, Russia and China, along with France, Bahrain and Colombia, requested the meeting to address the escalating conflict, while Israeli officials told Reuters that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the joint strikes.

Addressing the meeting, UN Secretary General António Guterres said he deeply regretted that an opportunity for diplomacy had been "squandered".

He also said he was not in a position to confirm Israeli reports of the death of Khamenei.

"Military action carries the risk of igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region of the world," he said, calling the situation on the ground "very fluid".

"There are many unconfirmed reports," said Guterres, calling the situation a "grave threat to international peace and security".

"The attacks have reportedly caused significant civilian casualties. According to Iranian media, an airstrike killed at least 85 people and injured many more at a girls' school in Minab, Hormozgan Province, and a school in Tehran was also reportedly hit, causing two deaths," he said.

He said 89 people have been injured in Iran's subsequent strikes on Israel, according to Israeli sources.

"I call for de-escalation and an immediate cessation of hostilities. The alternative is a potential wider conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability.

"I strongly urge all parties to return immediately to the negotiating table," said the UN chief.

Guterres added that about 20 cities had been hit in Iran and noted reports of Iranian leaders being killed, but said he could not independently confirm.

US is taking 'lawful actions', says ambassador to UN

Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the United Nations, has addressed the UN Security Council meeting.

Here are some points from his statement:

• The Iranian regime has willfully destabilised the world.
• It has killed American forces and citizens, threatened regional allies and jeopardised the security of international shipping upon which the world depends.
• It's massive support for violent proxies… has brought bloodshed and disorder across the Middle East for far too long.
• Iran's continued pursuit of advanced missile capabilities, coupled with its refusal to abandon nuclear ambitions, despite diplomatic opportunities, presents a grave and mounting danger.
• Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That principle is not a matter of politics. It's a matter of global security, and to that end, the United States is taking lawful actions.

Iran accuses US, Israel of 'war crime'

Amir Saeid Iravani, the Iranian ambassador to the UN, has addressed the panel, saying US and Israeli strikes were "illegal and entirely devoid of legal foundation".

He accused them of "deliberate and persistent targeting" of civilian infrastructure.

Iravani referenced the strike on an elementary girls' school in Minab, which he said had killed over 100 children.

"This is not only an act of aggression, it is a war crime and a crime against humanity," he said.

The ambassador told the meeting that Iran is exercising its inherent and lawful right to self-defence in response to aggression and large-scale war.

He said it views "all bases, facilities and assets of the hostile forces in the region shall be regarded as legitimate military objectives within the framework of Iran's lawful exercise of self defence".

"Iran will continue to exercise its right of self-defence decisively and without recitation until the aggression ceases in full and unequivocal terms," he said.

Iravani added that "Iran remains firmly committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbouring countries".

He also said that Israel "succeeded in dragging the United States into the quagmire of war with Iran".

Israel says joint effort to continue for as long as threat remains

Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, said that the US and Israel had acted to "confront and stop an existential threat before it became irreversible".

"We did not act of impulse. We did not act of aggression. We acted out of necessity, because the Iranian regime left no reasonable alternative," he said, reports Al Jazeera.

"This joint effort will continue for as long as the threat remains," he told the UN Security Council session.

He also accused Iran of targeting Israeli civilian infrastructure, saying that an "innocent woman was killed and 21 people were injured" in an attack in Tel Aviv.

Pakistan condemns killing of citizen in UAE

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, the Pakistani ambassador to the UN, decried Iran's strikes as "blatant violations of the sovereignty of the brotherly Gulf States".

He also condemned the killing of a Pakistani national in the United Arab Emirates. Authorities have said the individual was killed by falling debris in connection with a missile strike, reports Al Jazeera.

"Pakistan also condemns the unfortunate death of a Pakistani national in the UAE during this dastardly attack," he said.

"We urge all sides to refrain from any further actions that may undermine the security and territorial integrity of other regional countries," he said.