Iranian Envoy Warns UN of Israel’s Move to Escalate Gaza War across Region

During an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Amir Saeed Iravani warned the world body of attempts by Israel to expand its genocidal aggression against the Gaza Strip to the entire region.

This followed Israel's assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement, in Tehran.

The regime had also targeted Fuad Shukr, a senior commander of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, in Beirut.

“The warmongering leaders of this rogue regime have shown complete disregard for the basic norms and principles of international law,” Iravani said.

The crimes committed by the Tel Aviv regime, he added, “reveal a lack of commitment to peace and stability in the region and suggest an intention to escalate conflict and expand the war through the entire region.”

Iravani also said the Islamic Republic condemns in the strongest possible terms the assassination of Haniyeh as a violation of international law and the UN Charter, as well as a grave breach of Iran’s sovereignty and national security.

He emphasized that this act of terror is another manifestation of Israel’s “decades-long pattern of terrorism” targeting Palestinians and their supporters.

Haniyeh was in Tehran on an official invitation from the Iranian government to attend the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian.

He was targeted in his residence around 2:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

“In addition to its terrorist objectives, Israel was also pursuing a political goal with this act, aiming to disrupt the first day of the new government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has prioritized strengthening peace, stability in the region, and enhancing cooperation and constructive engagement with the international community,” the Iranian envoy said.

Iravani noted that the recent Israeli crime “is not isolated,” but part of a broader pattern of aggressive actions by the occupying entity against other regional nations.

He also stressed that the United States, as a strategic ally of Israel and its main supporter, bears responsibility for the crime.

“This act could not have occurred without the authorization and intelligence support of the US,” Iravani stated.

“The international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council, cannot remain indifferent to such heinous crimes and must take decisive action to address these violations and hold the perpetrators accountable.”

Iravani criticized the Security Council's inaction, which he said has emboldened Israel and encouraged it to continue committing war crimes against Palestinians and acts of aggression against other nations in the region.

He warned of the serious repercussions that Israel's activities pose to regional and international peace and security.

Despite Israeli provocations, Tehran has exercised maximum restraint, Iravani asserted, recalling the regime’s deadly terrorist attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus on April 1.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its inherent right to self-defense, in accordance with international law, to respond decisively to this terrorist and criminal act when it deems necessary and appropriate,” he concluded.