Key facts
- Iran's UN envoy Amir-Saeid Iravani stated US military bases in the Gulf cause "nothing but insecurity" and instability.
- Iravani accused the US of hypocrisy and ignoring the root causes of regional crises.
- He asserted that defining a regional security regime is the exclusive responsibility of neighboring countries.
- US Ambassador Mike Waltz countered that Iran cannot hold the world's economy hostage.
- Reports indicate that Iranian strikes have rendered many US bases in the Middle East nearly uninhabitable.
- Thousands of US personnel have been displaced from damaged installations.
Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani, asserted on Thursday that U.S. military bases in the Gulf states have brought "nothing but insecurity" and instability to the region. Speaking during an emergency session of the Security Council, Iravani criticized the U.S. presence, stating, "It is not their waters. It is not their neighborhood." He accused Security Council members of hypocrisy for blaming Tehran for regional violence while ignoring what he described as unlawful aggression against Iran.
Iravani rejected accusations from Western council members and Bahrain as attempts to shift blame onto the victim. He argued that defining and concluding a security regime for the region is the exclusive joint responsibility of the neighboring countries, and that the U.S. should support regional countries rather than engage in destructive military presence.
Responding to Iravani, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz stated that Iran cannot hold the world's economy hostage and that President Trump's patience is not unlimited. He directly addressed Iravani, saying, "This is not Tehran. This is the United States of America. This is the United Nations Security Council. You will not silence this body."
Separately, reports indicate that Iranian and pro-Iran missile and drone strikes have severely disrupted the operational stability of U.S. military presence in the Middle East, rendering many of the 13 American bases nearly uninhabitable. These strikes have damaged buildings, communications systems, and support infrastructure, forcing thousands of U.S. personnel to relocate. Satellite imagery has confirmed physical damage at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates following Iranian missile strikes, transforming the network of bases into a fragmented and partially displaced force posture.