New York/Washington DC June 23: The United States called on the UN Security Council to hold Iran accountable for its decades-long hostility towards Israel, pursuit of nuclear weapons, and threats to American interests. This comes after the U.S. launched a large-scale precision military strike, targeting Iran’s key nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
🔴 Key Statements from the US at the UNSC:
- Ambassador Dorothy Shea defended the military action, describing it as a necessary move to degrade Iran’s nuclear capacity and support Israel’s right to self-defense.
- Called on Iran to:
- End efforts to destroy Israel
- Abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions
- Stop targeting U.S. citizens
- Return to good-faith negotiations
- Warned that any attack on Americans would be met with “devastating retaliation”.
⚔️ Operation Midnight Hammer: Key Military Details
- Launched from the continental U.S., the strike package included seven B-2 Spirit bombers.
- 14 GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs (Massive Ordnance Penetrators) were dropped.
- Targets were hit between 6:40 PM – 7:05 PM EST (2:10 AM Iran time).
- The operation used decoy aircraft, deception tactics, and minimal communication to maintain tactical surprise.
- The attack was coordinated across multiple U.S. military branches including:
- Cyber Command
- Space Command
- Strategic Command
- European Command
🧪 Nuclear Concerns:
- The U.S. cited a recent IAEA report accusing Iran of non-compliance with nuclear safeguards and lacking any civilian justification for its uranium enrichment levels.
- Iran’s facilities were described as posing a rapidly escalating global threat.
⚠️ Context:
- These developments come amid rising Israel-Iran tensions, with Iran accused of launching attacks via proxies.
- The U.S. reiterated it does not target civilians or Iranian troops, claiming its objective is solely to curb Iran’s nuclear weapons capability.