United Nations: US and Iranian officials clashed Thursday, January 15, at an emergency UN Security Council session amid escalating tensions over Iran's deadly crackdown on nationwide protests. America's envoy issued stark warnings despite President Donald Trump's signals of de-escalation.
Joined by Iranian dissidents, the US condemned the regime's response, which activists say has killed at least 2,637 people. " Colleagues, let me be clear: President Trump is a man of action, not endless talk like we see at the United Nations," US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz declared. " He has made it clear that all options are on the table to stop the slaughter. And no one should know that better than the leadership of the Iranian regime."
The US called the meeting and invited dissidents Masih Alinejad and Ahmad Batebi to testify. Alinejad confronted Iran's representative directly: "You have tried to kill me three times. I have seen my would-be assassin with my own eyes in front of my garden, in my home in Brooklyn." She referenced the October sentencing of two alleged Russian mobsters to 25 years for plotting her murder on Iran's behalf three years prior.
Batebi recounted torture in Iranian prisons, including guards inflicting deep cuts and pouring salt into wounds. "If you do not believe me, I can show you my body right now," he told the council. Both urged the UN to hold Iran accountable for human rights abuses, with Batebi pleading to Trump: "You encouraged people to go into the streets. That was a good thing. But don’t leave them alone."
Protests, sparked last month by economic woes and currency collapse, appear largely suppressed, though a state-imposed internet blackout persists. Ahead of the session, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, urging condemnation of "illegal US interventions," per Iran's Tasnim news agency.
The US simultaneously imposed new sanctions on Iranian officials linked to the crackdown. The G7 and European Union signaled they are considering similar measures to intensify pressure on Tehran's theocratic government.
(Inputs from PTI)