UN Security Council to meet on Iran as Russia, China and Pakistan push for ceasefire
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council will meet Sunday to discuss US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed the 15-member body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East.
It was not immediately clear when it could be put to a vote. The three countries circulated the draft text, said diplomats, and asked members to share their comments by Monday evening. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass.
The US is likely to oppose the draft resolution, seen by Reuters, which also condemns attacks on Iran's nuclear sites and facilities. The text does not name the United States or Israel.
The world awaited Iran's response on Sunday after President Donald Trump said the US had 'obliterated' Tehran's key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.
Iran requested the UN Security Council meeting, calling on the 15-member body 'to address this blatant and unlawful act of aggression, to condemn it in the strongest possible terms.'
Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement on Sunday that the US and Israel 'do not deserve any condemnation, but rather an expression of appreciation and gratitude for making the world a safer place.'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday branded the US strikes on Iran as a 'dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.'
'At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos. There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace,' Guterres said in a statement.
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Arab News
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What do we know about US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities?
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These sites span the entire fuel-enrichment chain — from raw uranium conversion, through enrichment, to the production of fuel and technical components for research reactors. • The first B-2 bomber was publicly displayed on Nov. 22, 1988, but its first flight was on July 17, 1989. • The combat effectiveness of the B-2 was proved in the Balkans, where it was responsible for destroying 33 percent of all Serbian targets in the first eight weeks. • In support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the B-2 flew one of its longest missions to date from Whiteman to Afghanistan and back. • The B-2 completed its first-ever combat deployment in Iraq, flying 22 sorties and releasing more than 1.5 million pounds of munitions. Fordo facility Location and structure: Fordo is 30 kilometers northeast of Qom, embedded within a mountain at an altitude of approximately 1,750 m, with over 80 meters of rock and volcanic shielding — making it one of Iran's most fortified sites. Technical role: It houses two underground halls that can hold about 3,000 IR-1 centrifuges, enriching uranium up to 60 percent — a level nearing weapons -grade. Strategic importance: It is a primary target in any military effort to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear military capability, due to its high capacity and protection. Natanz reactor Location and structure: Situated near Kashan in central Iran, partially buried under about 8 meters of earth with a 220meter-thick concrete roof, naturally shielded by surrounding mountainous terrain. Technical role: Contains primary and experimental plants with over 14,000 centrifuges (IR-1, IR-2m, IR-4, IR-6), making it Iran's main industrial enrichment hub. Strategic importance: Responsible for producing most of Iran's low-enriched uranium and plays a key role in centrifuge development. Isfahan nuclear complex Location and structure: Located south of Isfahan on an arid plateau away from populated areas, it is neither buried nor heavily fortified. Technical role: Includes a Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF); a research reactor fuel production plant; and a metallic fuel pelletizing plant, and three research reactors. Strategic importance: Serves as the backbone of Iran's nuclear research and production infrastructure, supplying both Natanz and Fordo. The Pentagon used some of the world's most advanced aircraft for Saturday's strikes. The B-2 Spirit is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. The bomber represents a major milestone in the US bomber modernization program. The B-2 brings massive firepower to bear anywhere on the globe through seemingly impenetrable defenses. According to US officials, the bombers that carried out the Iran strikes flew for nearly 37 hours non-stop from its Missouri base, refueling in mid-air multiple times before striking in the early hours of Sunday. A B-2 bomber offers several key advantages, primarily due to its stealth capabilities and global reach. • A range over 11,000 km without refueling, capable of global reach from distant American bases. • Stealth abilities such as flying-wing design and radar-absorbing materials that allow it to evade air defenses. • It can carry both nuclear and conventional weapons, including the GBU‑57 bunker-buster bomb. Initial reports quoted by Asharq News indicated that Fordo was hit with the GBU‑57, the most powerful US conventional bunker buster, designed for deeply buried targets like Fordo, which lies 90 meters underground. Fox News reported six bunker-busting bombs were dropped on Fordo, alongside approximately 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired at Natanz and Isfahan. The GBU‑57 'Massive Ordnance Penetrator' was designed by American military engineers to devastate deeply buried bunkers without radioactive fallout. It was the only nonnuclear weapon that could reach Iran's hardest target. • Weight: ~13,600 kg • Length: 6.2 meters. • Diameter: 0.8 meters. • Explosive payload: 2,400 kg of high explosives. • Guidance: GPS + inertial navigation. * Penetration: Up to 60 meters of reinforced concrete or dense rock. A Tomahawk cruise missile is a precision weapon that launches from ships, submarines and ground launchers and can strike targets precisely from a great distance, even in heavily defended airspace. • Range: 1,250–2,500 km depending on variant. • Speed: Subsonic (~880 km/h). • Guidance: Inertial navigation, GPS, with some variants using terminal guidance (TERCOM, DSMAC). • Warhead: ~450 kg conventional explosives. • Launch platforms: Ships and submarines. There has been a torrent of responses to the US move against Iran, Asharq News reported. President Trump declared the mission's success, stating that the Fordo facility was 'gone,' and Iran's primary nuclear enrichment sites 'completely and utterly destroyed.' Later on Sunday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes were an incredible and overwhelming success that have 'obliterated Tehran's nuclear ambitions.' For its part, Iran's Tasnim News Agency quoted an official saying the nuclear sites had been evacuated in advance, and the damage was 'not irreparable.' The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran stated there was 'no risk of any radiation leak.' Iran emphasized its nuclear industry would not be halted.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
UN chief warns of cycle of retaliation after US bombs Iran
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned Sunday against yet 'another cycle of destruction' and retaliation following the US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, which he said marked a 'perilous turn' in the region. 'I have repeatedly condemned any military escalation in the Middle East,' the secretary-general told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. 'The people of the region cannot endure another cycle of destruction. And yet, we now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation.' Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also called for restraint as he voiced fears over 'potential widening' of the conflict. 'We have a window of opportunity to return to dialogue and diplomacy. If that window closes, violence and destruction could reach unthinkable levels and the global non-proliferation regime as we know it could crumble and fall,' Grossi said. Speaking to the Security Council by video link, he said there were visible craters at Iran's key Fordo nuclear facility, 'indicating the use by the United States of America of ground-penetrating munitions.' But Grossi noted that no one had been able to assess the underground damage at Fordo. He added that 'armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked.'
Arab News
an hour ago
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Israel rejects critical EU report ahead of ministers' meeting
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