Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, sharply criticised the United States for its recent military strikes on Iran, accusing Washington of opening a "Pandora's box" with potentially catastrophic consequences for global security. His remarks came during an emergency special session of the Security Council at UN Headquarters in New York on Sunday (local time).

Speaking under the agenda item "threats to international peace and security", Nebenzia condemned the US-led strikes targeting Iran's nuclear sites as "irresponsible, dangerous, and provocative," amid escalating tensions between the Islamic Republic and Israel.

"Washington reasserted that to further the interests of its Israeli ally, it's prepared not only to turn a blind eye to the killings of tens of thousands of Palestinian women, children and older persons but also to gamble with the safety and well-being of humanity as a whole. Through their actions, the US has opened a Pandora's box; no one knows what new catastrophes and suffering it will bring," he noted.