Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Danny Danon, forcefully defended the recent US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities during an emergency UN Security Council session on Sunday, declaring the operation as a decisive step in eliminating what he called “the greatest existential threat to humanity.”
Speaking under the agenda item “Threats to International Peace and Security,” Danon backed the US-led Operation Midnight Hammer, which targeted Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
“The United States has eliminated the greatest existential threat to humanity—and yet, some nations still dare to condemn it,” Danon said. “I ask: Where were you when Iran enriched uranium beyond civilian use? When it plotted our destruction? You were silent, afraid—bystanders.”
Danon accused Iran of using years of nuclear negotiations as a façade to secretly advance its missile and uranium enrichment programs.
“Iran used the negotiating table as camouflage—a delay tactic to buy time while building missiles and enriching uranium. Every diplomatic off-ramp was offered. Iran refused to budge. So it had to be moved,” he added.
Emphasizing the potential global stakes, Danon warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would have posed a catastrophic threat to all nations, not just Israel.
“A nuclear Iran would have been a death sentence—for you as much as for us,” he stated.
The Israeli envoy’s remarks came amid rising regional tensions following the strikes. Earlier on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that around 20 Israeli Air Force fighter jets had carried out separate strikes on Iranian military infrastructure in Tehran, Hamedan, and Kermanshah, deploying over 30 munitions.
In a post on X, the IDF detailed the targets, which included:
- Missile storage and launch sites
- Radar and satellite systems used for aerial intelligence
- A surface-to-air missile launcher near Tehran
“These strikes are part of our ongoing effort to degrade the Iranian regime’s military capabilities and secure aerial superiority to protect Israeli civilians,” the IDF said.
Israel’s strong defense of the US-led operation contrasts sharply with criticism from countries like Russia and Iran, as well as growing calls from the UN for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy.
