West Blocks Russian UN Statement Condemning Attack on Iran’s Embassy in Syria

The United States, alongside Britain and France, opposed a Russian-proposed United Nations Security Council statement that sought to condemn the recent attack on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria—a strike Tehran attributes to Israel, a close ally of Washington. Russia’s deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy criticized the Western nations’ stance, accusing them of double standards and highlighting a disconnect between their professed and actual commitment to international legality and order. This opposition comes despite the Security Council’s history of condemning attacks on diplomatic premises.

The European Union, diverging from the council’s indecision, condemned the strike, emphasizing the sanctity of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel and urging restraint among nations. Meanwhile, the US has yet to confirm the targeted building’s status in Damascus, expressing concern over the potential implications if it were indeed a diplomatic facility.

Israel, for its part, has not acknowledged carrying out the attack, which resulted in the destruction of a building adjacent to the main embassy complex and the death of seven members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. The incident has reignited discussions on international law and conventions governing diplomatic relations and the inviolability of diplomatic missions, with Iran invoking several conventions to underline the illegality of the attack.