New York (Web Desk): Pakistan has told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that it is looking for an early return to stability in Iran, while cautioning that international law clearly forbids any outside involvement in the internal matters of sovereign states.
Speaking at an emergency meeting of the 15-member Council on Thursday evening, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Ahmad, reminded members that the UN Charter does not allow the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any country, nor does it permit interference in issues that fall within a state’s domestic jurisdiction.
The meeting was called at the request of the United States to review the unfolding situation in Iran.
Addressing the UNSC, US Ambassador Mike Waltz criticized the Iranian authorities’ response to protests and said President Donald Trump stood firmly with the Iranian people.
In his remarks, Ambassador Asim Ahmad said Pakistan had been closely watching developments in Iran and the surrounding region over the past few days, warning that emerging challenges to peace and stability were a matter of serious concern.
He referred to Iran as a brotherly nation and highlighted the strong historical, cultural, religious and people-to-people ties shared by the two countries.
The Pakistani envoy said peace and stability in Iran were not only important for Pakistan but also for the wider region and the international community.
Expressing confidence in the judgment of the Iranian people and leadership, he noted that this confidence was grounded in Iran’s long history, cultural strength and resilience
Reaffirming Pakistan’s position, the envoy stressed that the basic principles of the UN Charter are inviolable. He said any form of external interference contradicts international law and warned that disputes must be settled through peaceful means. Continued confrontation, unilateral steps and the use of force, he cautioned, would only worsen crises and increase human suffering.
Wrapping up his statement, Ambassador Asim Ahmad said Pakistan hoped the situation in Iran would soon settle, free from internal unrest and external pressure, and that all concerned sides would return to dialogue to reach a durable solution based on mutual respect and understanding.
Opening the discussion, UN Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee urged all parties to exercise restraint to avoid further escalation.
She described the situation in Iran as fluid and deeply troubling, noting that protests were continuing, though reportedly on a smaller scale than the previous week.
She also expressed concern over public statements hinting at possible military action, warning that such rhetoric added a dangerous external element to an already tense environment.
Ms. Pobee said every effort must be made to prevent the situation from deteriorating further. She conveyed that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes that concerns related to Iran, including the protests and nuclear issues, can only be effectively addressed through diplomacy and dialogue.
She said the Secretary-General had called for maximum restraint and urged all actors to avoid steps that could lead to further loss of life or trigger a wider regional crisis.
The protests began on December 28, when shopkeepers in Tehran took to the streets to protest the sharp decline of the national currency, rising inflation and increasingly difficult living conditions.
Addressing the council, US Ambassador Waltz accused the Iranian government of acting against its own citizens in ways he said affected international peace and security.
He said President Trump and the United States stood with what he described as the brave people of Iran, adding that the country’s leadership was responsible for the economic hardships faced by its population and would be held to account.
Russia’s Ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, rejected the US position, saying the international community had seen Washington repeatedly raise tensions and promote alarm over Iran. He said the Security Council meeting was yet another attempt to justify interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and warned that the United States appeared ready to resort to military strikes to pursue regime change.
China’s Ambassador Sun Lei said the United States had openly threatened the use of force against Iran.
He stressed that China consistently supports the principles of the UN Charter and international law, particularly respect for sovereignty and non-interference.
The Chinese envoy warned that the use of force would not resolve the situation and that military adventurism could push the region toward disaster, adding that no action violating international law should be accepted.
Iran’s Deputy Permanent Representative, Ambassador Gholamhossein Darzi, said he was addressing the Council on behalf of a nation in mourning.
He accused the United States of spreading falsehoods and deliberately distorting facts to hide what he described as its direct role in pushing unrest in Iran toward violence.
The Iranian envoy said Washington had called the meeting to conceal its involvement in crimes committed by what he termed its mercenaries.
He further accused the US of presenting itself as a supporter of the Iranian people while simultaneously paving the way for political destabilization and possible military intervention under a humanitarian pretext.
Ambassador Gholamhossein Darz called such claims deeply cynical, citing what he described as a long and well-documented record of unlawful US military interventions, regime-change operations and violations of international law and the UN Charter.