By Desmond Nleya
The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Thursday to address the escalating crisis in Iran, where weeks of nationwide protests have turned deadly amid heightened tensions with the United States.
The closed-door meeting was requested by Washington following reports of mass arrests, internet shutdowns and a growing death toll as Iranian authorities move to suppress demonstrations challenging the country’s clerical leadership. The unrest comes alongside increasingly sharp rhetoric from US President Donald Trump, who in recent days warned that military intervention remained a possibility, though he appeared to soften his tone on Wednesday.
Iran’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Gholamhossein Darzi, rejected accusations of human rights abuses and denied that Tehran sought confrontation. However, he warned that Iran would respond decisively to any external aggression.
“Iran seeks neither escalation nor confrontation,” Darzi told the council. “But any act of aggression, direct or indirect, will be met with a decisive, proportionate and lawful response under Article 51 of the UN Charter.”
“This is not a threat,” he added, “but a statement of legal reality.”
Darzi accused the United States of playing a direct role in fuelling unrest inside Iran, a claim Washington strongly denied.
US Ambassador Mike Waltz condemned Tehran’s handling of the protests, saying the government was attempting to silence dissent through force and information blackouts.
“The people of Iran are demanding their freedom like never before in the Islamic Republic’s brutal history,” Waltz said, noting that the ongoing internet shutdown made it difficult to independently verify the scale of the crackdown. He dismissed Iranian claims that the protests were foreign-instigated, calling them evidence that the leadership was “afraid of its own people”.
The Security Council was briefed by UN Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee, who said the protests had rapidly escalated into a nationwide crisis since they began nearly three weeks ago.
“Demonstrations erupted on 28 December 2025 after shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar protested the sharp collapse of the national currency and soaring inflation,” Pobee said. “They have since evolved into widespread upheaval, resulting in significant loss of life.”
She cited reports from human rights organisations estimating that more than 18,000 people have been detained, while stressing that the UN has been unable to independently verify those figures. Pobee urged Iranian authorities to ensure humane treatment of detainees, halt any executions related to protest cases, and conduct transparent investigations into all reported deaths.
“All those responsible for violations must be held accountable in line with international standards,” she said.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sought to ease concerns earlier this week, denying reports that protesters face execution. Speaking to Fox News, Araghchi said there were “no plans for hanging at all,” adding that executions were “out of the question”.
The council also heard testimony from Iranian civil society representatives, including Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, who called for urgent international action.
“Real and concrete measures are needed now to bring justice to those ordering massacres in Iran,” Alinejad said, accusing Iranian authorities of targeting her for amplifying the voices of protesters.
The meeting came as the United States announced new sanctions against senior Iranian officials, including Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, describing them as key figures behind the government’s “brutal” crackdown.
Iran has faced extensive international sanctions for years, deepening an economic crisis widely seen as one of the drivers of the current wave of protests.
