Israel and Iran are at a war of words in the United Nations Security Council, as on Sunday both accused each other of being the primary threat to peace and stability in the Middle East.
Representatives from both countries have urged the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions on each other, according to reports.
Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan accused Iran of pushing the region towards further destabilisation.
He said “The mask is off. Iran, the number one global sponsor of terror, has exposed its true face as the destabiliser of the region and the world.”
He further said ‘Iran poses a threat to Israel and as well as the region’ during an emergency meeting of the Council, convened after Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel overnight.
“The mask comes off and the gloves must come on,” he said, pleading with the UNSC to take action.
The Israeli ambassador repeatedly asked the Security Council to designate the Revolutionary Guards, which is the Iranian Islamic Republic’s ideological army as a terrorist organisation and urged for the imposition of all possible sanctions on Iran “before it's too late."
He referred to the “snapback” mechanism that allows members of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal — which the United States exited in 2018 — to reimpose international sanctions against Tehran.
Meanwhile, reports say that US President Biden has made it clear to Benjamin Netanyahu that the US will not take part in a counter-offensive against Iran, an option Netanyahu’s war cabinet favours after a mass drone and missile attack on Israeli territory, according to officials.
However, Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood said, “We, as members of the Security Council, have a collective responsibility to ensure that Iran complies with the council's resolutions and ceases its violations of the charter.”
He added, “Let me be clear: if Iran or its proxies take actions against the United States or further action against Israel, Iran will be held responsible,” he said.
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