ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States warned on Friday that “all options” against Iran are “on the table”, as the UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting to discuss the situation inside the country amid nationwide protests and reports of killings.
The meeting featured testimony from Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and human rights activist, who said many protesters have pinned hope on US President Donald Trump to strike the regime.
Referring to a young protester, she said: “Siyavash Shirzad, 30 years old - his family begged him not to go out to the streets because of his safety. He said to his family: ‘I go to the streets to celebrate the victory of our revolution, because President Trump promised to rescue our lives.’”
Trump initially issued strong warnings toward Iran and encouraged protesters to continue, saying that “help is on the way,” but later softened his tone, claiming that the killing in Iran had stopped. Despite this shift, Washington’s envoy to the United Nations said the use of military force remains an option.
“President Trump is a man of action, not endless talk like what we see at the United Nations. He has made it clear all options are on the table to stop this slaughter,” said Michael Waltz, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
Iran’s delegation strongly rejected the US position, accusing Washington of acting at Israel’s behest and seeking to justify aggression.
“The United States' request for this meeting is shameful to conceal their direct complicity in the crime their mercenaries have committed against our nations from 8 to 10 January, as part of Israeli's malicious attempts to drag America into another war of aggression against Iran,” said Gholamhosein Darzi, Iran’s Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN.
Russia and China both voiced opposition to any US military intervention.