The United States and Israel clashed with Iran at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Saturday where the UN chief and many countries urged a halt to their attacks and a return to negotiations to prevent the conflict from spreading further into the region and beyond. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the council that everything must be done to prevent an escalation. "The alternative," he warned, "is a potential wider conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability."

Guterres said the US and Israeli airstrikes violated international law, including the UN Charter. He also condemned Iran's retaliatory attacks for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, insisted the US military action was lawful. "Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," he told the council. "That principle is not a matter of politics. It's a matter of global security. And to that end, the United States is taking lawful actions."