Security Council Hears From US, Iran, and Dissidents
The Security Council meets Jan. 5 at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
After weeks of rising tensions, U.S. and Iranian officials confronted each other Thursday at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, where Iranian dissidents accused Tehran of severe human rights abuses and assassination attempts abroad.
The meeting featured sharp exchanges between the two sides. The U.S. envoy warned Iran of serious consequences, even as President Trump had previously signaled a desire to reduce tensions between the longtime adversaries. Iran’s deputy UN ambassador, Gholam Hossein Darzi, accused the United States of directly fueling unrest inside Iran and claimed Washington was preparing the ground for political destabilization and possible military intervention.
The U.S. rejected those claims. Ambassador Mike Waltz dismissed Iran’s assertion that the protests were a foreign-backed pretext for military action. While President Trump had said the day before that government killings of protesters appeared to have stopped, Waltz told the council that the president had made clear that “all options are on the table” to halt further violence, adding that Iran’s leadership should understand that message clearly.
By Thursday, protests challenging Iran’s ruling theocracy appeared largely suppressed, though a government-imposed internet and communications blackout remained in effect.
Behind the scenes, regional leaders were urging caution. A diplomat told the Associated Press that senior officials from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar had spent the previous two days warning President Trump that U.S. military intervention could destabilize the Middle East further and disrupt the global economy.
The United States requested the Security Council meeting and invited two Iranian dissidents—journalist Masih Alinejad and activist Ahmad Batebi—to testify. In one of the most dramatic moments, Alinejad directly addressed the Iranian representative, accusing Tehran of repeated attempts on her life, including a plot uncovered in New York. The Iranian official did not respond. U.S. authorities have previously said individuals tied to foreign criminal networks were sentenced for participating in that plot on behalf of Iran.
Batebi described his imprisonment in Iran and the abuse he said he suffered while in custody, telling council members he bore physical evidence of his treatment.
Both dissidents urged the UN and the international community to take stronger action against Iran over human rights violations. Batebi specifically appealed to President Trump to continue supporting the Iranian people, saying encouragement from abroad mattered—but warning against abandoning them as protests face repression.
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