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During a United Nations Security Council meeting on Sunday, a heated exchange unfolded between Iran’s ambassador, Saeid Iravani, and U.S. envoy Mike Waltz. Iravani urged Waltz to “be polite,” a comment that prompted a strong retort from Waltz, who accused the Iranian regime of oppressing its citizens by killing and imprisoning those seeking liberation from its rule.
“I have just one piece of advice for the representative of the United States: be polite,” Iravani stated at the emergency session.
Waltz quickly countered, saying, “I will not dignify that with a response, especially as this representative sits here in defense of a regime responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of its own people and the incarceration of countless others who simply desire freedom from your tyranny.”
Ambassador Mike Waltz was seen addressing the Security Council after joint U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on February 28, 2026. (Heather Khalifa/Reuters)
This verbal clash occurred during an urgent Security Council briefing amid escalating tensions, as the United States, Israel, and Iran have entered a state of conflict. Diplomats from each nation presented starkly contrasting views on the legitimacy and implications of the ongoing military actions under international law.
In extended remarks at the session, Waltz rejected what he described as Iran’s “ridiculous and frankly farcical assertion” that U.S. actions violated international law, arguing that the United States acted “in close coordination with the Government of Israel” and “in line with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations,” which addresses self-defense.
He also reiterated that Iran supports armed proxies across the region and has destabilized the Middle East for decades.
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz reiterated that Iran supports armed proxies across the region and has destabilized the Middle East for decades. (Heather Khalifa/Reuters)
The clash unfolded against the backdrop of broader controversy surrounding Iran’s standing within the U.N. system, previously reported by Fox News Digital. Last month, Iran was elected vice chair of the U.N. Charter Committee, a body focused on examining and strengthening the principles of the U.N.’s founding document — a move that drew criticism from Israeli and Western officials.
Fox News Digital also reported earlier that month on backlash after U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres sent a congratulatory message to Iran marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a gesture critics described as “abjectly tone-deaf” given Tehran’s human rights record.
Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani speaks at a Security Council meeting in New York City on Feb. 28, 2026. (Heather Khalifa/Reuters)
The United States is set to assume the rotating presidency of the Security Council on March 1, a role that shifts monthly and gives the presiding country control over the council’s agenda and meeting schedule, placing Washington in a key procedural position as tensions continue to mount.
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