Amir Saeid Iravani (left), Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, and Mike Waltz, the US ambassador, engage in a tense back-and-forth at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on February 28 local time. Photo: Screenshot from the website.

In the afternoon of Saturday local time, just hours after the US and Israel launched the military campaign against Iran, the UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting on the situation in Iran, during which representatives of Iran and the US collided head on and engaged in a fierce war of words. 

Amir Saeid Iravani, Iranian ambassador to the UN, said hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured on the first day of the US and Israel's "unprovoked and premeditated aggression against Iran."

"The aggression and atrocious crimes of the US regime and the Israeli regime, and their deliberate and persistent targeting of civilian infrastructure, are ongoing," he said during the emergency UN Security Council session. "This is not only an act of aggression; it is a war crime and a crime against humanity."

US Ambassador Mike Waltz pushed back, claiming that Iran's menacing activities directly endanger the interests of the US and its partners and allies, and that actions taken by the US and Israel are consistent with the UN Charter.

After US Ambassador responded to Iranian claims that America had violated international law, Tehran's diplomat to the UN asked to speak again to issue a warning: "I advise to the representative of the US to be polite. It will be better for yourself and the country you represent."

The Associated Press described the clash as "rare," noting that the US and Iranian ambassadors exchanged warnings and direct rebuffs toward the end of the emergency session, as military aggression between the two countries risked spilling over into a wider regional war.

The US and Israel on Saturday launched coordinated airstrikes against Iran, with the latter responding with a series of attacks on Israel and US targets across the Middle East, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Global Times