Russia on Thursday (Mar 12) accused the United States and its Western allies of whipping up “hysteria” about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, as tensions flared at the United Nations over Washington’s military campaign Operation Epic Fury against Tehran. China also slammed the US, calling it the “instigator” of the ​Iranian nuclear crisis. US envoy to the United Nations Mike Waltz, meanwhile, accused Moscow and Beijing of seeking to “protect their partner, Iran”. Here’s all you need to know about the tense US showdown.

Speaking at a 15-member U.N. Security Council, Russia’s envoy Vasily Nebenzya said claims that Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon had not been confirmed by international inspectors.

Nebenzya said that the “hysteria surrounding supposed plans Iran had to get a nuclear weapon” was not corroborated by reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He argued the allegations were being used to justify another Western military intervention in the Middle East. “This was done in order to undertake yet another military venture against Tehran and to ensure great escalation of the situation in the Middle East and beyond,” he said.

China’s envoy Fu Cong also slammed Washington for US President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, calling America the main driver of the current crisis. He said the United States had undermined diplomatic efforts by launching military strikes against Iran during negotiations.

US “resorted to blatant use ⁠of force against Iran during the negotiation process, which rendered the diplomatic efforts futile,” said the Chinese envoy.

The remarks came during a tense session of the 15-member council, currently chaired by the United States, where diplomats debated the future of UN sanctions linked to Iran’s nuclear programme.

Russia and China attempted to block discussion about the body responsible for overseeing sanctions enforcement, known as the 1737 Committee.

The move failed after council members voted 11 to 2 to proceed with the meeting, with two abstentions.

Addressing the council, US envoy Mike Waltz accused Russia and China of trying to shield Iran from international scrutiny. He said both China and Russia did not want a functional sanctions committee “because they want to protect their partner, Iran, and continue to maintain defence cooperation that is now once again prohibited.”

He said all UN member states should be enforcing an arms embargo on Iran, preventing the transfer of missile technology and freezing financial assets linked to Tehran’s military programmes.

“All member states of the United Nations ⁠should be implementing an arms embargo against Iran, banning the transfer and trade of missile technology, and freezing relevant financial ​assets,” Waltz said.

“The U.N. provisions to be re-imposed are not arbitrary, but instead, narrowly scoped to address the threat posed by Iran’s ​nuclear, missile and conventional arms programs and Iran’s ongoing support for terrorism,” he said.

The United States also pointed to recent findings by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

According to Waltz, Iran remains the only country without nuclear weapons that has produced uranium enriched to 60 per cent. He also said Tehran had refused to provide inspectors with access to parts of its stockpile.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.