Ambassador Erdan to Security Council: No more red-carpet treatment for Iran

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, spoke on Sunday at a discussion of the UN Security Council, which convened at Erdan’s request to discuss Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel.

In his remarks, Erdan demanded that the Security Council condemn Iran and showed the video in which Iranian missiles are seen intercepted over Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

“From the moment I began my tenure here, in every speech and in countless letters, I rang the warning bell regarding Iran. I called on this Council to take concrete action against the Ayatollah regime,” said Erdan.

“I made it clear that Iran and its hegemonic ambitions of global domination must be stopped before it drives the world to a point of no return: to a regional war that can escalate to a world war,” he continued.

“Sadly,” the Israeli Ambassador continued, “no action was taken. And last night, the world witnessed an unprecedented escalation that serves as the clearest proof for what happens when warnings aren’t heeded. Israel is not the boy who cried wolf. We have been screaming from the rooftops for years, trying to wake up the international community, but to no avail.”

“If only this Council would have internalized my words, it would not have needed the bone rattling explosions of last night’s attack to wake it up.”

Erdan continued by saying that “Iran proved again that it cares nothing for Islam or Muslims” with its attack on Saturday night.

“The Iranian attack seriously injured Amina al-Hassouni, a seven-year-old Bedouin girl in Israel. But look at this video that shows how Israel intercepts Iranian drones above the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said, before showing the video to those present.

“To Iran, Israel’s annihilation and igniting the region is more important than Islamic holy sites. The Ayatollah regime, in its plot to impose a global Shia hegemony through its proxies, has even attacked Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and anyone else they view as an obstacle.”

Erdan noted that “while this direct Iranian attack on Israel was the first of its kind, it is just the most recent chapter in a blood-soaked saga that started from the moment the Islamic revolution reared its head.”

“The Ayatollah regime has a clear plan: its goal has been and continues to be world domination by exporting its radical Shia revolution across the globe. The Islamic regime of today is no different than the Third Reich. And Ayatollah Khamenei is no different than Adolf Hitler,” he said, adding, “Hitler’s Third Reich was envisioned to be a thousand-year empire stretching across continents, just as Khamenei envisions his radical Shia hegemony to stretch across the region and beyond.”

Erdan warned that “the Ayatollah regime acts like the Nazi regime, and their army includes Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the Houthis, the Revolutionary Guard, and other savage Jihadists. Instead of shouting ‘Sieg Heil,’ these radical Nazi Islamists scream, ‘Death to Israel! Death to America! Death to England!’ Just like the Nazi regime, the Ayatollah regime sows death and destruction everywhere it touches.”

He also pointed out that Iranian weaponry has been used against Ukrainian civilians during the war in that country and noted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who, in condemning Iran’s attack against Israel, said, “The sound of Iranian Shahed drones, a tool of terror, is the same in the skies over the Middle East and Europe. This sound must serve as a wake-up call to the free world.”

“Listen to President Zelenskyy and wake up!” Erdan urged the Council, adding later that “Iran is not only a terror state, Iran is a pirate state.”

The Ambassador noted that courts the courts in Argentina several days ago determined that Iran was directly responsible for the 1994 terror attack in Buenos Aires on the Jewish community center, which killed 85 people and wounded 300.

He then pointed out that the Iranian regime torments and murders its own citizens, noting that in 2023 alone, the Ayatollah regime executed 834 Iranians.

“What have you done to defend the world from Iran? The entire globe is suffering from Iran – including the Iranian people. Please, defend them!”

Turning to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Erdan said, “Iran has been violating Security Council resolutions and the UN Charter for years. They supply Hezbollah with weapons in violation of resolutions 1559 and 1701. They advance weapons proliferation in violation of resolution 2231. They violate resolutions 1540 and 2216. Why have you not used all possible means to condemn Iran and demand compliance?”

“Why have you instead rolled out the red-carpet for these genocidal Jihadists? Why do you treat them as if they are interested in de-escalation when you know that the opposite is true?” he asked.

“Iran has attacked Israel from its own sovereign territory – publicly and proudly. The mask is off. Iran, the number-one global sponsor of terror, has exposed its true face as the destabilizer of the region and the world. And now – right now – is when the world must stop ignoring Iran’s crimes and take action,” said Erdan.

“As Iran’s mask has fallen, the world’s complacency must also fall. The mask comes off and the gloves must come on. The snooze button is no longer an option. The only option is to condemn Iran and utilize every means necessary to make them pay a heavy price for their horrible crimes.”

“Iran and its axis of supporters must be shown that the civilized world will no longer stand idle. While many countries immediately condemned the attack, those who didn’t must ask themselves: how do you want history to remember you?” said Ambassador Erdan.

He further pointed out that Iran “is barreling towards nuclear capabilities. This is a terror state responsible for global destruction and soon they will have nuclear capabilities.”

“You all know that Iran is systematically violating the JCPOA and has enriched uranium up to 60% purity and even more. Iran’s breakout time to produce an arsenal of nuclear weapons is now weeks – mere weeks! No concrete action has been taken and the IAEA inspectors have been kept in the dark. Iran is on the verge of becoming a nuclear power. It should terrify every member of this council,” Erdan stated, urging those present, “Take a moment to think about what would happen if Ayatollah Khamenei could have launched a nuclear bomb last night.”

“To the JCPOA signatories, I say: initiate the snapback mechanism today! Impose all possible sanctions on Iran before it’s too late! We need a world led by Churchills, not Chamberlains!”

Pointing out that Iran funded and sponsored Hamas’ October 7 attack on southern Israel, Hezbollah’s firing of rockets on northern Israel and the Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, Erdan said, “We are being fired upon from all fronts. From every border. We are surrounded by Iran’s terror proxies. The war in Gaza extends far broader than Israel and Hamas. All of the terror groups attacking Israel are tentacles of the same Shia octopus – the Iranian octopus.”

“While the Ayatollah regime thinks that Israel is a frog in boiling water, that we are becoming accustomed to the threats on our survival and won’t notice until it’s too late – they are wrong. This attack crossed every red line and Israel reserves the legal right to retaliate. We are not a frog in boiling water – we are a nation of lions,” he clarified, adding later, “We will defend our future.”

“Despite the magnitude of the attack, 99% of Iran’s UAVs and missiles were intercepted by Israel and our allies. I wish to take this opportunity to thank the United States and our partners for standing with us in defending Israel against the Ayatollah regime’s indiscriminate attack,” said Erdan, adding, “Yet the fact that Israel’s air defense proved to be superior, does not change the brutality of the Iranian attack.”

He also said, “It’s not enough to remove Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Iran is the world’s worst human rights violator and such a regime cannot hold any UN position. No more red-carpet treatment here at the UN. No more appeasement. Today, the Council must take action: condemn Iran for their terror.”

“Trigger the snapback mechanism and reimpose crippling sanctions. Designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror organization. Action must be taken now. Not for Israel’s sake. Not for the region’s sake. But for the world’s sake. Stop Iran today!” Erdan called at the conclusion of his remarks.