UNITED NATIONS: A US-Iran UN clash deepened Thursday as Washington accused Tehran of attacking Arab neighbours and disrupting commercial shipping near the Strait of Hormuz.
US Ambassador Michael Waltz said President Donald Trump’s patience with Iran was “not unlimited.”
The Security Council meeting followed Iranian drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait, and attacks on commercial vessels in or near the Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani said Iranian attacks killed three civilians and injured 465 others. He accused Tehran of targeting civilian facilities, critical infrastructure and residential areas.
Iran’s representative Amir-Saeed Iravani rejected the US and Bahraini statements as baseless. He said that regional countries that host American bases had made themselves vulnerable.
Waltz said Iran could not hold the world economy hostage and urged Tehran to stop attacks on neighbouring countries and keep the international waterway open.
Read: US-Iran UN clash erupts before Khamenei funeral
UN Assistant Secretary-General Elizabeth Spehar said the Secretary-General welcomed the US-Iran decision to de-escalate and exercise restraint. She said the June 17 memorandum of understanding offered hope for diplomacy.
Diplomatic efforts remain under strain after two days of talks in Doha on frozen assets, the Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon.
The talks paused on July 1 and are expected to resume after funeral processions for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, scheduled from July 4 to July 9.
