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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Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his government faces growing public frustration and a resurgent far right.
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations against Islamic State since 2016, the Transport Ministry said.
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United States.
World leaders are set to gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York for several days of high-level debate, with Iran, Ukraine, artificial intelligence (AI) and a range of global crises expected to dominate discussions this week.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed from the line-up over his public support for Palestine.
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