After weeks of rising tensions, the United States and Iran faced off at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, as Washington again issued a warning to Tehran about a violent crackdown on nationwide protests. The confrontation unfolded even as US President Donald Trump signaled tentative efforts to de-escalate the crisis between the two longtime adversaries.
US renews threat amid protests
Speaking at the council, US Ambassador Mike Waltz delivered a stark message, accusing Iran’s leadership of overseeing a brutal crackdown that activists say has killed at least 2,637 people.
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“My colleagues, let me be clear: President Trump is a man of action, not the endless talk we see at the United Nations,” Waltz said. “He made it clear that all options are on the table to stop the killing. And no one should know that better than the leadership of the Iranian regime.”
His remarks came as Washington continued to consider potential retaliation for the deaths of protesters, even as Trump indicated the violence may be subsiding. On Thursday, demonstrations challenging Iran’s theocratic system appeared largely quelled, although a state-ordered internet and communications blackout remained in place.
Dissidents confront Tehran at the UN
The United States called an emergency meeting and took the unusual step of inviting two Iranian dissidents to brief the council: Masih Alinejad and Ahmad Batebi. Both submitted harrowing accounts of alleged abuses by the Islamic Republic.
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In one of the most striking moments of the meeting, Alinejad addressed the Iranian representative directly.
“You tried to kill me three times. I saw my would-be killer with my own eyes in front of my garden, in my house in Brooklyn,” she said as the Iranian envoy stared ahead without answering.
Alinejad was the target of a foiled assassination attempt in New York; in October, two alleged Russian mobsters were each sentenced to 25 years in prison for hiring a hitman to kill her on behalf of the Iranian government.
Batebi spoke of severe mistreatment during his imprisonment in Iran, describing guards cutting up his body before rubbing salt into his wounds.
“If you don’t believe me, I can show you my body right now,” he told the council.
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Both dissidents urged the United Nations to take stronger action to hold Iran accountable for human rights abuses. Batebi addressed Trump directly and appealed for continued US support.
“You encouraged people to take to the streets. That was a good thing. But don’t leave them alone,” he said.
Diplomacy next to confrontation
Before the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, their first direct contact since the protests erupted last month. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said Araghchi urged Guterres to fulfill what he described as “Iran’s serious expectation” that the UN condemn “illegal US interventions against Iran”.
Sanctions and international pressure
As diplomatic exchanges continued, Washington announced new sanctions targeting Iranian officials accused of orchestrating the crackdown. The measures add to pressure already being considered by the Group of Seven industrialized democracies and the European Union, which have both said they are considering further sanctions.
The protests, which began late last month amid economic woes and a collapsing currency, have become one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s leadership in years. Thursday’s Security Council meeting highlighted how the unrest has spilled beyond Iran’s borders and fueled a renewed and volatile standoff between Tehran and Washington.
