Tipsheet

The UN Responds to Iran Strikes With Its Favorite Weapon: A Strongly Worded Statement

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  March 02, 2026 2:00 PM

As Operation Epic Fury unfolded on Saturday, the United Nations did what it is best known for in critical moments of global conflict, and drafted its latest round of strongly worded condemnations, ready to distribute them to Iran, alongside the United States and Israel. 

The U.N. immediately called on the United States and Iran to resume negotiations. Yet while the organization routinely defaults to talks as the solution to virtually every conflict, history has often shown that decisive military dominance, not endless negotiation, is what ultimately brings wars to an end.

In a rare display of urgency, the U.N. managed to convene an emergency meeting, despite its well-known reluctance to work weekends, a pattern President Trump has noted and taken advantage of when launching military operations. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations attempted to project strength during the session, advising the United States “to be polite” as tensions escalated.

“I have one word only: I advise to the representative of the United States to be polite. It will be better for yourself and the country you represent," Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, said. 

United States Ambassador Mike Waltz was not pleased, and immediately fired back.

"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 entire tyranny," he said. 

Thankfully, Waltz and the Trump administration seem to recognize that the time for politeness with Iran, and with other hostile powers, has long since passed. It’s time foreign adversaries understand that the United States is not a country to be messed with.