Iran defiant amid looming deadline for U.S. strikes

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(The Center Square) – Iranian officials remained defiant on Tuesday as a U.S. deadline for further military strikes on bridges and power plants looms. 

The United Nations Security Council held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran. The council met to vote on a resolution to protect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Russia and China vetoed the resolution, causing it to fail. 

President Donald Trump said "a whole civilization will die tonight" if Iran did not agree to open access in the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday evening. 

Amir-Saeid Irvani, the UN representative for Iran, criticized threats from Trump calling for "complete demolition" of the country.

"Iran will not stand idle in the face of such egregious war crimes," Irvani said. "It will exercise without hesitation its inherent right of self defense and will take immediate and proportionate reciprocal measures," Irvani said. 

Irvani criticized the UN security council for failing to uphold peace and security. He placed blame on the United States and Israel for the consequences of retalitation. 

Irvani rejected the possibility of a ceasefire to hostilities in Iran, noting that it would serve as the potential for future war crimes. 

"The United States and Israeli division must bear full responsibility for harm and suffering inflicted upon Iranian civilians, objects and critical infrastructure," Irvani said. 

Michael Waltz, the United States' ambassador to the UN, placed responsibility for the threats of further military action with Iran. He said Iran's refusal to negotiate and unwillingness to pursue peace in the Middle East led to the current conflict. 

"[The Iranian regime] is a dictatorship punching at the kneecaps of its neighbors," Waltz said. "Our allies across the gulf and American servicemen are under a barrage of Iranian missiles and drones."

Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, the representative for Bahrain to the UN, criticized Iran's strikes on Middle East countries. He asserted the Iranians were committing war crimes in the conflict. 

"We are discussing your illegal, terrorist actions by closing the Strait of Hormuz, which harmed international trade, jeopardizing the lives of millions of people," Alrowaiei said. 

Waltz slammed Iran for its closure of the Strait of Hormuz and warned that similar actions to disrupt global energy supply chains could be devastating in a future conflict. 

"One can only imagine conflicts where a party decides to hold the rest of the world hostage because of a dispute," Waltz said. "This is a situation the world cannot and should not live with."

The Pentagon floated requesting $200 billion from Congress for operations in Iran but has not confirmed an official figure. Some estimates said the conflict has cost the United States $1 billion per day.