UN Security Council to meet on Iran as Israel promises further strikes

The United Nations Security Council will meet later on Friday over Israel's strikes on Iran as Israel's U.N. envoy said the military operation would continue until Iran's nuclear capabilities and ballistic missile operation were eliminated.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi requested the council meeting in a letter to the 15-member body, saying Israel "has now crossed every red line, and the international community must not allow these crimes to go unpunished."

"Iran reaffirms its inherent right to self-defense as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter and will respond decisively and proportionately to these unlawful and cowardly acts," Araghchi wrote.


Article 51 of the U.N. Charter covers the individual or collective right of states to self-defense against armed attack.

Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Iran on Friday, saying it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories and killed military commanders in what could be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran building an atomic weapon.

"We don't know how long it will take," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters. "We will continue to act until we will know that we eliminated the threats."

"The goals of our operation are very clear - to make sure that Iran will not have nuclear capabilities and to stop the ballistic missile operation," he said. "I will explain to the council... and I expect the Security Council to understand."

Araghchi, in his letter to the Security Council, said Israel had not only violated Iran's sovereignty, but also committed "acts of aggression and war crimes."