Mike Waltz turns tables on Iranian envoy at heated UN meeting

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Saeid Iravani, sparred with U.S. envoy Mike Waltz astatine a Security Council league connected Sunday, telling the American ambassador to "be polite," a remark that drew a crisp rebuke from Waltz, who accused Tehran of sidesplitting "tens of thousands" of its ain citizens and imprisoning galore much simply for seeking state from "your tyranny."

"I person 1 connection only: I counsel to the typical of the United States to beryllium polite," Iravani said during the exigency meeting.

Moments later, Waltz responded: "Frankly, I’m not going to dignify this with different response, particularly arsenic this typical sits present successful this assemblage representing a authorities that has killed tens of thousands of its ain radical and imprisoned galore much simply for wanting state from your tyranny."

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting, aft the U.S. and Israel launched strikes connected Iran, astatine U.N. office successful New York City, U.S. Feb. 28, 2026. (Heather Khalifa/Reuters)

The speech came during an exigency Security Council briefing arsenic the United States, Israel and Iran entered war, with diplomats offering sharply antithetic interpretations of the expanding subject run and its legality nether planetary law.

In extended remarks astatine the session, Waltz rejected what helium described arsenic Iran’s "ridiculous and frankly farcical assertion" that U.S. actions violated planetary law, arguing that the United States acted "in adjacent coordination with the Government of Israel" and "in enactment with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations," which addresses self-defense.

He besides reiterated that Iran supports equipped proxies crossed the portion and has destabilized the Middle East for decades.

AMBASSADOR MIKE WALTZ LAYS OUT ‘AMERICA FIRST’ VISION FOR US LEADERSHIP AT THE UN

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting, aft the U.S. and Israel launched strikes connected Iran, astatine U.N. office successful New York City, U.S. Feb. 28, 2026. (Heather Khalifa/Reuters)

The clash unfolded against the backdrop of broader contention surrounding Iran’s lasting wrong the U.N. system, antecedently reported by Fox News Digital. Last mnonth Iran was elected vice-chair of the U.N. Charter Committee, a assemblage focused connected examining and strengthening the principles of the U.N.’s founding papers — a determination that drew disapproval from Israeli and Western officials.

Fox News Digital besides reported earlier that period connected backlash aft U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres sent a congratulatory connection to Iran marking the day of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a motion critics described arsenic "abjectly tone-deaf" fixed Tehran’s quality rights record.

Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani, attends a United Nations Security Council meeting, aft the U.S. and Israel launched strikes connected Iran, astatine U.N. office successful New York City, U.S. connected Feb. 28, 2026.  (Heather Khalifa/Reuters)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The United States is acceptable to presume the rotating presidency of the Security Council connected March 1, a relation that shifts monthly and gives the presiding state power implicit the council’s docket and gathering schedule, placing Washington successful a cardinal procedural presumption arsenic tensions proceed to mount.

Related Article