Thank you, Madam President. Before I begin, let me congratulate you on the presidency and assure you of my government’s full support as you carry out your duties. I would also like to congratulate Japan for its very successful presidency in March.
Assistant-Secretary-General Khiari, thank you for your briefing.
Colleagues, as the White House has stated, the United States had no involvement in the reported strike yesterday in Syria, neither did we know about it ahead of time. We have communicated this directly to Iran. We cannot confirm any information about this event. As we gather details, one thing is clear: Iran and its proxy and partner groups need to avoid escalating tensions in the region.
Indeed, since the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, the United States has repeatedly warned Iran not to take advantage of the situation to escalate its longstanding proxy war against Israel and other actors.
Iran has ignored that warning. Terrorists and other armed groups, some backed by the Syrian regime and Iran, have used Syrian territory to plot and launch attacks on Israel and U.S. facilities and personnel.
Along the Blue Line, the Iranian-backed and armed Hizballah attacks Israel regularly. In the Red Sea, Iranian-backed Houthis have violated international law and repeatedly attacked commercial and merchant vessels. Iranian-backed groups also have attacked U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq and attacked U.S. military personnel engaged in the fight against ISIL (Da’esh). Iran’s hand is evident in the actions of all of these terrorist and proxy and partner groups. We have repeatedly warned the Syrian regime to curb Iran’s destabilizing actions on its territory.
We also have longstanding concerns regarding the use of Syrian territory to launch attacks on neighboring countries. For example, on March 31, an Israeli fighter jet reportedly intercepted a suspicious aerial target making its way toward Israel from the direction of Syria. And on numerous occasions since October 7, we have seen rockets, armed drones, and other weaponry being launched from Syrian territory toward Israeli positions in and around the Golan Heights.
We have taken steps in self-defense to respond to attacks on U.S. military personnel conducting operations against Da’esh in Syria and Iraq. We will not hesitate to defend our personnel and repeat our prior warnings to Iran and its proxies not to take advantage of this situation – again, an attack in which we had no involvement or advanced knowledge – to resume their attacks on U.S. personnel.
Even as we continue to learn more about this incident, it seems clear that every member of this Council should reiterate that all States, including Iran and Syria, have a responsibility to avoid the path of escalation, stop arming and advising terrorist groups, and rein in the actions of proxies who threaten regional peace and security.
Madam President, two final points. I want to be clear: we do not yet have confirmation of the status of the building that was struck in Damascus. Any confirmed attack on a property that was indeed a diplomatic facility would be concerning for the United States. Diplomatic missions and their property must be protected even during times of armed conflict. As noted earlier, there are concerns over reports that terrorist leaders were allegedly present at this facility; Iran's continued coordination with terrorists is condemned.
Colleagues are saddened by reports of an IDF air strike on a World Central Kitchen Convoy—an incident highlighting Israel's need for better protection measures for humanitarian personnel in Gaza six months into conflict without functioning deconfliction mechanisms—and call for transparent investigation alongside other affected countries.
Thank you again Madam President.