Israel-Iran war: At UN, US envoy Dorothy Shea accidentally blames Israel for 'chaos, terror'; corrects it to Iran
A senior American diplomat sparked confusion and controversy at a
United Nations
Security Council meeting on Friday after mistakenly blaming Israel for "chaos, terror and suffering" in the Middle East before quickly correcting herself.
Dorothy Shea, the US Chargé d'Affaires ad interim to the UN, made the apparent slip-up during a speech condemning Iran's regional actions.
'Israel's government has...'
"Israel's government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region," Shea said, before pausing mid-sentence and correcting herself.
"Iran's government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region," she then clarified, continuing her remarks.
The moment, which was caught on video, has since gone viral, with many on social media speculating whether the slip was a genuine mistake or a revealing moment of diplomatic confusion.
Reaffirming support for Israel
Despite the awkward pause, Shea reiterated Washington's firm backing for Israel. "While the United States was not involved in Israel's strikes, let there be no doubt that the United States continues to stand with Israel and supports its actions against Iran's nuclear ambitions," she said.
She claimed Iran now possesses the capabilities necessary to build a nuclear weapon, describing the situation as "unacceptable."
"This Council must urge them to change course," she urged. "The Iranian government must abandon its nuclear ambitions so that there is no more destruction."
Ongoing Israel-Iran hostilities
The speech came as tensions between Israel and Iran remain high. Since June 13, Israel has conducted targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear and military assets, prompting retaliatory missile attacks from Tehran.
Shea cited a G7 leaders' statement from earlier this week, reinforcing the US stance that "Iran is the principal source of instability and terror in the Middle East."
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Indian Express
15 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Sheltering in a bunker, Iran's supreme leader names potential successors
Wary of assassination, Iran's supreme leader mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications to make it harder to find him, three Iranian officials familiar with his emergency war plans say. Ensconced in a bunker, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has picked an array of replacements down his chain of miliary command in case more of his valued lieutenants are killed. And in a remarkable move, the officials add, Ayatollah Khamenei has even named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, as well — perhaps the most telling illustration of the precarious moment he and his three-decade rule are facing. Ayatollah Khamenei has taken an extraordinary series of steps to preserve the Islamic Republic ever since Israel launched a series of surprise attacks last Friday. Though only a week old, the Israeli strikes are the biggest military assault on Iran since its war with Iraq in the 1980s, and the effect on the nation's capital, Tehran, has been particularly fierce. In only a few days, the Israeli attacks have been more intense and have caused more damage in Tehran than Saddam Hussein did in his entire eight-year war against Iran. Iran appears to have overcome its initial shock, reorganizing enough to launch daily counterstrikes of its own on Israel, hitting a hospital, the Haifa oil refinery, religious buildings and homes. Iran's top officials are also quietly making preparations for a wide range of outcomes as the war intensifies and as President Trump considers whether to enter the fight, according to the Iranian officials, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the ayatollah's plans. Peering inside Iran's closely guarded leadership can be difficult, but its chain of command still seems to be functioning, despite being hit hard, and there are no obvious signs of dissent in the political ranks, according to the officials and to diplomats in Iran. Ayatollah Khamenei, 86, is aware tateither Israel or the United States could try to assassinate him, an end he would view as martyrdom, the officials said. Given the possibility, the ayatollah has made the unusual decision to instruct his nation's Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for appointing the supreme leader, to choose his successor swiftly from the three names he has provided. Normally, the process of appointing a new supreme leader could take months, with clerics picking and choosing from their own lists of names. But with the nation now at war, the officials said, the ayatollah wants to ensure a quick, orderly transition and to preserve his legacy. 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One is being waged from the air, with Israeli airstrikes on military bases, nuclear facilities, critical energy infrastructure, commanders and nuclear scientists in their apartment buildings in tightly packed residential neighborhoods. Some of Iran's top commanders were summarily wiped out. Hundreds of people have also been killed and thousands of others injured, with civilians slain across Iran, human rights groups inside and outside the country say. But Iranian officials say that they are fighting on a second front, as well, with covert Israeli operatives and collaborators scattered on the ground across Iran's vast terrain, launching drones at critical energy and military structures. The fear of Israeli infiltration among the top ranks of Iran's security and intelligence apparatus has rattled the Iranian power structure, even Ayatollah Khamenei, officials say. 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Israel says that it wants to destroy Iran's nuclear program, but experts say that only the United States has the bomber — and the enormous 30,000-pound bomb — that might be capable of penetrating the mountain where Iran has built its most critical nuclear enrichment facilities, Fordo. Iran has threatened to retaliate by attacking American targets in the region, but that would only risk a wider, and possibly more devastating, conflict for Iran and its adversaries. The fear of assassination and infiltration within Iran's ranks is so widespread that the Ministry of Intelligence announced a series of security protocols, telling officials to stop using cellphones or any electronic devices to communicate. It has also ordered all senior government officials and military commanders to remain below ground, according to two Iranian officials. 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India.com
20 minutes ago
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Not Iran, Russia to help THIS Muslim nation in its nuclear ambitions; the country is..., not Pakistan
Russia will help build a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan. (File) Kazakhstan nuclear power plant: Earlier this month, Israel triggered the Israel-Iran war when it launched deadly airstrikes on Iranian cities on the pretext of Tehran being close to developing a nuclear weapon. However, there is another little-known Muslim country which has nuclear ambitions of its own, and Russia has announced open support for its nuclear endeavor. Kazakhstan to build nuclear power plant with Russia's help The country in question is Kazakhstan, a former constituent of the erstwhile Soviet Union, who is reportedly working on setting up a nuclear power plant in collaboration with Russia's state-owned nuclear energy giant Rosatom, according to officials of the Central Asian Countries Authority. Kazakhstan, one of the most resource-rich countries in Central Asia, is the world top producer of uranium, and now looks to utilize its vast uranium resources to develop its own civilian nuclear program with Russia's help. The country supplies supplying 43 percent of the world's uranium consumption, but does not have enough electricity production to meet its domestic needs. As per details, the Kazakhstan nuclear power plant was approved in 2024, and will be built in a village near Ulken near Lake Balkhash, the country's second largest lake. China and France also made bids Notably, China, France and South Korea had also tried secure the deal for the Kazakhstan nuclear power plant, but the bid was ultimately won by Russia. According to media reports, China's National Nuclear Corporation, French EDF and South Korean Hydro and Nuclear Power Company had placed bids, but Rosatom secured the deal. However, Kazakhstan officials said that these three companies will also be included in a consortium led by Rosatom. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the country aims to maintain good relations with both Russia and China, adding that Rosatom has offered to finance the entire project. Tokayev's statement comes at a time when Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Kazakhstan for the upcoming China-Central Asia Summit. Interestingly, Kazakhstan had several nuclear power plants and hosted Soviet nuclear weapons, as well as being a nuclear testing site, when it was part of the Soviet Union. However, after the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, Kazakhstan, along with other former Soviet states like Belarus and Ukraine, gave up its nuclear weapons and closed the power plants.
