TEHRAN – The war imposed on Iran by the United States and Israel has now moved from the battlefield to the courtroom of diplomacy, with a new battle over history, responsibility and money unfolding at the United Nations Security Council.
On Friday, November 13, the Council convened at Bahrain’s request to examine the consequences of the Persian Gulf conflict for regional security and international shipping. What was billed as a technical discussion on navigation quickly turned into a political trial over who started the war, who defended legitimately, and — ultimately — who should pay for it.
At the center of the session stood two radically opposed narratives: one presented by Persian Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, demanding accountability and full reparations from Iran; the other advanced by Iran’s Deputy Permanent Representative Gholamhossein Darzi, who described Iran as the victim of two rounds of unprovoked aggression and warned that any new attack would be met with an “immediate and decisive” response against its source.
The fact that the meeting was convened at Bahrain’s request was itself significant. Manama, which hosts the U.S.