Iran calls for emergency UNSC meeting as it weighs options over how to retaliate against Israeli strikes

Amid the brewing tensions in West Asia, Iran’s leadership said that it does not want to seek war with Israel but it will respond to the Saturday attack “appropriately”. On Monday, Iran called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian maintained that Tehran was not looking for a war but would respond “appropriately” to Israel’s strikes.

“We do not seek war but we will defend the rights of our nation and country,” Pezeshkian told a cabinet meeting on Sunday. “We will give an appropriate response to the aggression of the Zionist regime," he added. It remained unclear whether Pezeshkian was indicating that Iran would contemplate a direct military response or it would approach the matter by arming its proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah to conduct the attack.

The proclamation from the Iranian president came amid debate on whether the Israeli attack, which has limited in comparison to what was anticipated, warrants a response from Iran. The United States stated that with the Israeli attack, the cycle of tit-for-tat strikes between the Middle East’s largest military powers should end otherwise it could lead to an all-out war in the Middle East.

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Iranian supreme leader echoes the same sentiments 

In his first remarks on the attack, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the “evil committed by the Zionist regime two nights ago should neither be downplayed nor exaggerated.” The proclamation from the Iranian leader came amid reports that he is “ seriously ill ”.

The Iranian leader emphasised that Iran’s power should be demonstrated to Israel. “It is up to the authorities to determine how to convey the power and will of the Iranian people to the Israeli regime and to take actions that serve the interests of this nation and country," he added.

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However, the remarks from both Pezeshkian and Khamenei suggested that Iran has no immediate military response planned. Hence, Tehran is weighing in on the option over how to deal with the attacks.

Since Saturday, Tehran has been downplaying the attack, insisting that the Israeli strikes had caused “limited damage”. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, condemned the attacks and called for the UNSC to intervene in the matter.

“The Israeli regime’s actions constitute a grave threat to international peace and security and further destabilise an already fragile region,” Araqchi said in a letter to the 15-member council on Saturday.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, in alignment with the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and under international law, reserves its inherent right to legal and legitimate response to these criminal attacks at the appropriate time,” he wrote.

With inputs from agencies.