During a United Nations Security Council session on Sunday, tensions flared as Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Saeid Iravani, engaged in a verbal exchange with U.S. envoy Mike Waltz. Iravani’s call for Waltz to “be polite” was met with a fierce retort from the American representative, who accused Iran of committing human rights abuses against its own citizens.

“I have one word only: I advise the representative of the United States to be polite,” Iravani remarked at the emergency meeting.

Waltz quickly countered, stating, “Frankly, I’m not going to dignify this with another response, especially as this representative sits here in this body representing a regime that has killed tens of thousands of its own people and imprisoned many more simply for wanting freedom from your tyranny.”

The confrontation unfolded during an emergency briefing by the Security Council, prompted by escalating hostilities between the United States, Israel, and Iran. Diplomats presented starkly differing views on the military conflict and its adherence to international law.

In his extended comments, Waltz dismissed Iran’s claims that U.S. actions were unlawful under international law, describing them as “ridiculous and frankly farcical.” He defended the United States’ military operations, stating they were conducted “in close coordination with the Government of Israel” and aligned with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which permits self-defense.

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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