Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, speaking at an emergency meeting of the Security Council, said the Islamic Republic was exercising its “inherent right to self-defense” and had “no choice but to respond” to Israel.

“The Security Council…has failed in its duty to maintain international peace and security,” Iran’s special envoy Amir Saeed Irani insisted.

Tehran therefore had “no choice” but to respond, he said, adding that his country “does not seek escalation or war” but would respond to any “threat or aggression.”

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He also lashed out at Israel.

“It is time for the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities and address real threats to international peace and security,” Irawani said.

The agency “must take urgent and punitive measures to force the regime to stop its genocide against the people of Gaza.”

The heightened tensions come against the backdrop of Israel’s six-month war with Hamas in Gaza, which began after the Palestinian militant group launched an attack on Israel on October 7, according to an AFP tally. The attack killed 1,170 people, mostly civilians. According to Israeli data.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,729 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.

Since the Iranian revolution in 1979, Israel has been regarded as a mortal enemy by the Islamic Republic, which has demanded its destruction.

So far, Tehran has refrained from attacking Israel head-on, and the two countries have instead chosen to confront them through a third party.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged restraint on Sunday, telling an emergency meeting that “neither the region nor the world can afford more wars.”

“Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate,” he said.

Guterres also once again condemned Iran’s attacks on Israel and the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

“It’s time to step back from the cliff,” Guterres said.