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Iran urges UN to condemn Israel to prevent retaliation after embassy attack

Iran's mission to the UN proposes that a UN condemnation of the attack on its embassy in Damascus could have prevented retaliation.

AP

Tehran calls for UN response to prevent retaliation. / Photo: AP

The "imperative for Iran" to retaliate for the attack on its embassy compound in Damascus might have been avoided had the UN Security Council condemned the strike, Tehran's mission to the United Nations has said.

"Had the UN Security Council condemned the Zionist regime’s reprehensible act of aggression on our diplomatic premises in Damascus and subsequently brought to justice its perpetrators, the imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime might have been obviated," the mission said on the social media platform X on Thursday.

Iran uses the term "Zionist regime" to refer to Israel, which Iranian authorities blamed for an April 1 attack that destroyed Iran's consulate building in Damascus.

At least 13 people were killed in the attack, including seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers.

Among those killed were General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the IRGC's Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, and his deputy General Hadi Haj Rahemi.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned on Wednesday that Israel "must be punished and will be punished", days after one of his advisers said Israeli embassies are "no longer safe".

Since then, Israel strengthened its air defences and paused leave for combat units, the United States also warned of the risk of an attack by Iran or its allied groups at a time when Middle East tensions have soared.

Had the UN Security Council condemned the Zionist regime’s reprehensible act of aggression on our diplomatic premises in Damascus and subsequently brought to justice its perpetrators, the imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime might have been obviated.
— Permanent Mission of I.R.Iran to UN, NY (@Iran_UN) April 11, 2024

Calls for calm

Regional tensions have been stoked by Israel's attacks on Gaza which have faced a chorus of international criticism.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that Israel's "disproportionate response" in Gaza risked "destabilising the Middle East and, as a consequence, the entire world".

And now amid the new rising tensions between Israel and Iran, several countries have called for calm.

Moscow called on both Iran and Israel to exercise restraint, after earlier warning Russians to refrain from travelling to Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

In addition, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on X, formerly Twitter, urged "maximum restraint", and Lufthansa said it had extended a temporary suspension of Iran flights until Saturday.

"Avoiding further regional escalation must be in everyone's interest. We urge all actors in the region to act responsibly and exercise maximum restraint," the ministry wrote on X, formerly Twitter.