UN Security Council divided over Middle East resolutions as Pakistan backs both measures

During Wednesday’s meeting, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, thanked Bahrain and Russia for presenting the draft resolutions and said that Pakistan was seeking an immediate resolution to the conflict.

During the session, Russia’s representative objected to the resolution presented by Gulf countries, calling the draft biased and prejudiced. According to the Russian representative, if the text were read without context it could give the impression that Tehran had started attacking targets across the region without justification.

The draft presented by Gulf countries called on Iran to stop attacks on neighboring states. The resolution received support from 135 countries, marking the largest number of co-sponsors for any resolution in the history of the United Nations.

Presenting the draft, Bahrain said the resolution highlighted how important the Gulf region is for global peace and energy stability and that the issue was not merely a regional matter.

The United States stated on the occasion that Iran’s provocative policies and its strategy of pressuring neighboring countries had failed.

Russia and China abstained from voting on the resolution. They argued that the draft ignored the root causes of the conflict and was not presented in a balanced manner.

The resolution also made no mention of the bombing carried out by Israel and the United States against Iran, even though the UN Secretary-General had described those actions as a violation of the UN Charter. Russia also expressed concern that the territory of Gulf countries might be used for attacks against Iran.

Bahrain expressed disappointment over Russia’s position and said that the territory of Gulf states had not been used for attacks against any country.

Another resolution introduced by Russia called on all parties to cease hostilities, but it failed to receive the required number of votes for adoption. Russia, Pakistan, China and Somalia voted in favor, while the United States opposed it. The United Kingdom, France, Bahrain, Colombia, Congo, Denmark and Greece were among several countries that abstained.

During the meeting, Iran accused countries supporting the Gulf draft of prioritizing their political interests over the UN Charter.

Iran’s representative, Amir Saeid Iravani, supported Russia’s position and criticized Israel and the United States. He said attempts were being made to portray the aggressors as victims. According to him, Iran was the target today but any other sovereign country could face the same situation tomorrow.

He also accused Israel and the United States of committing war crimes and claimed that more than 1300 civilians had been killed during attacks on Iran. He said the adoption of the resolution by the Security Council was a serious blow to the council’s credibility.

The Israeli representative said in his speech that the message from the Security Council was clear: targeting civilians and cities was unacceptable and Iran must immediately stop such actions.

Addressing the Iranian representative, he said that honesty was necessary in negotiations and accused Iran of using diplomacy to advance its nuclear program.

According to the Israeli representative, Iran had been developing ballistic missiles capable of reaching not only the Middle East but also Europe. He added that Iran had admitted during negotiations that it had the capacity to produce 11 nuclear bombs.

He further said that enriching uranium to 60 percent was not necessary for any peaceful nuclear program, nor were secret facilities built inside mountains required for such a program.

The Israeli representative also claimed that Iranian missiles had targeted Israeli cities as well as civilian areas, airports and hotels in Gulf countries.

He added that the Iranian representative had sent several letters to the Security Council labeling Israel as a terrorist state, but said such accusations should be made only after examining one’s own actions.

During the meeting, Pakistan’s ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that the ongoing war was affecting every country and that the conflict should never have begun.

He said Pakistan supported Bahrain’s resolution as a gesture of solidarity with Gulf countries that had been subjected to what he described as unjustified attacks. These countries include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

He also called for an end to attacks on Gulf countries and demanded the restoration of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan supported Russia’s resolution as well, stating that it called for an end to military operations, a reduction in tensions and a return to negotiations, which aligned with Pakistan’s position.

Without directly naming the United States, the Pakistani representative said that the attack on Iran on February 28 and the subsequent events had harmed global peace and stability.

Pakistan also reiterated its support for Iran’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and condemned an attack on a school in the Iranian city of Minab, where Iranian authorities said 168 people, including 110 children, were killed. U.S. officials said the incident was under investigation.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad also criticized Israel, saying that no country in the region could be given the right to push other states toward war.