U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
The session, titled Children, Technology and Education in Conflict, marked the first time the spouse of a serving world leader has presided over the 15-member council, the UN’s most powerful body charged with maintaining international peace and security. The plan for her to chair the meeting was announced last week, before the joint U.S.-Israeli military action began.
According to her office, the U.S. first lady intended to highlight education as a means of promoting tolerance and global peace. Addressing delegates, she said: “The U.S. stands with all of the children throughout the world. I hope soon peace will be yours.”
However, the timing of the meeting drew sharp criticism.
Iran accused the U.S. and Israel of carrying out a strike on a girls’ primary school in the southern town of Minab on Saturday. Iran’s UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, told the council that 165 schoolgirls had been killed in the attack. Reuters was unable to independently verify the claim.
Iravani described it as “deeply shameful and hypocritical” for the U.S. to convene a discussion on protecting children in armed conflict “while at the same time launching missile strikes against Iranian cities and bombing schools and killing children”.
On Saturday, the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said reports from Iran highlighted how the military escalation in the Middle East “marks a dangerous moment for millions of children in the region”. The agency echoed UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s call for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the allegation that American forces had targeted a school, telling reporters on Monday that “the United States will not deliberately target a school.”
Israel’s UN ambassador said he had seen differing accounts of the incident, including claims that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps may have been responsible for the strike, but added that Israel regretted any civilian loss of life.
Without directly referring to the allegations surrounding Minab, China’s UN ambassador, Fu Cong, noted that attacks on schools are among the grave violations against children identified by the United Nations. He called on the international community to ensure thorough investigations and accountability.
The meeting also underscored longstanding tensions between the Trump administration and the UN. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised the 193-member organisation since his first term in office, describing it as ineffective and in need of reform. The U.S. is billions of dollars in arrears on its contributions to the UN budget, with the shortfall having grown substantially during his presidency.
Against that backdrop, critics said the decision for the first lady to chair a high-level session on child protection risked appearing symbolic at best and contradictory at worst, given the unfolding military campaign.
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France plans to send anti-missile and anti-drone systems to southern Cyprus after a British air base on the island was attacked by drones, the semi-official Cyprus News Agency (CNA) said on Tuesday.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Australia on Tuesday (3 March), aiming to bolster relations between the two so-called "middle powers" amid what he has called a "rupture" in world order.
The U.S. and Israeli air war against Iran widened on Monday, with no end in sight as Israel attacked Lebanon in response to strikes by Hezbollah and Iran kept up its attacks on Gulf states that host U.S. military bases.
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Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 3rd of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Australia on Tuesday (3 March), aiming to bolster relations between the two so-called "middle powers" amid what he has called a "rupture" in world order.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton told lawmakers that President Donald Trump told him he had "some great times" with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before their relationship soured, according to a video released on Monday (2 March).
The U.S.-Iran crisis has entered its third day, with further strikes reported across the Middle East and the death toll rising. Oil prices have surged to levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising fears of economic disruption and higher prices worldwide.
The UK said it's allowing the U.S. to use its bases for defensive strikes against Iran amid escalating missile attacks, after a suspected drone strike hit a British airbase in southern Cyprus, causing limited damage.
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