Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN made an unprecedented statement during an emergency session of the UN Security Council that suggested all people “should thank former President Donald Trump” for taking “bold and necessary” U.S. military action against Iran’s nuclear sites.
Just days after coordinated American airstrikes struck Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, Israeli Ambassador Eliav Bar-Sadeh applauded this operation as “game-changing in safeguarding global security.”
“For too long, the Iranian regime has deceived international communities with false promises of peaceful nuclear energy while secretly working towards creating a bomb,” Bar-Sadeh noted. However, thanks to President Trump’s vision and resolve-both during and post-presidency-the threat is finally being addressed.
These remarks came amid a fierce and contentious UN Security Council discussion on U.S. strikes, with Russia, China and several European nations denouncing them as violations of international law. Iran called the operation an act of war and has promised retaliatory strikes; raising fears of regional conflict in response.
Bar-Sadeh insisted that Israel fully backs the U.S. action, calling it “measured, justified and overdue”. He linked these strikes with years of failed diplomacy with Iran as well as international inaction which emboldened Tehran further.
“Diplomacy alone cannot deter those who fund terror and advocate for its destruction; that is why action becomes both right and necessary,” Trump noted. The world should thank President Trump, not criticize him.
Bar-Sadeh’s comments allude to both Trump’s longstanding opposition to Iran’s nuclear ambitions as well as his 2018 decision to exit from the Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA), an action which divided world leaders. Following leaving office, Trump has continued calling for pressure against Tehran while advocating for “regime change” within Iran in a recent speech.
Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s Ambassador to the UN, attacked Israeli envoy Doron Stein during the same session and accused both parties of seeking to destabilize the region under the guise of nonproliferation.
“Let me be clear: Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and operates under international oversight,” Takht-Ravanchi stated. He concluded by noting the strikes as unlawful acts of aggression supported by those advocating conflict over peace.
At the UN, rising global divisions over recent escalation are being expressed through heated rhetoric at this forum. U.S. officials claim their airstrikes targeted only facilities used for enrichment of uranium; critics argue the action went without international approval and risks sparking more conflict in an already volatile Middle East region.
Bar-Sadeh’s remarks were supported by Israeli government ministers who credit Trump with “laying the foundation” for such an aggressive approach by openly challenging Iran during his presidency.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a call for all parties involved to exercise restraint and refrain from any further provocations. “The international community must act with unity and reason – further escalation will serve no one,” said the Secretary-General.
As diplomatic tensions remain at a fever pitch, global responses to Trump’s Iran strikes remain deeply divided; their implications still being felt both militarily and rhetorically.