UN Security Council to meet on Iran as U.S. pulls some personnel from Middle East bases
The U.N. Security Council is expected to convene for a briefing on the situation in Iran at the request of the United States, according to a scheduling note cited by a spokesperson for the Somali presidency. The move comes as the U.S. withdraws some personnel from regional bases amid heightened tensions and warnings from Tehran that it would target American facilities if struck.
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A U.S. official said some drawdowns are underway. Qatar confirmed adjustments at Al Udeid Air Base, the U.S. Central Command’s forward headquarters, saying the moves were being undertaken in response to “current regional tensions.” Three diplomats said some personnel had been told to leave the base, though there were no immediate signs of mass departures. Britain was also withdrawing some personnel from an air base in Qatar ahead of possible U.S. action, the I paper reported. The U.K. Defense Ministry had no immediate comment.
President Donald Trump signaled a wait-and-see posture toward the crisis. He told reporters he had been informed that killings in Iran’s crackdown on protests were subsiding and that he believed there was no current plan for large-scale executions. Trump did not rule out U.S. military action, saying his administration would “watch what the process is,” and added that Washington had received a “very good statement” from Iran. He has repeatedly threatened to intervene on behalf of anti-government protesters.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said there is “no plan” to execute people over the protests. A senior Iranian official said Tehran has warned regional neighbors — including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey — that U.S. bases on their territory would be targeted if Iran is attacked. The official added that direct contacts between Aragchi and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff have been suspended.
Two European officials said a potential U.S. intervention could come within 24 hours. An Israeli official said it appeared Trump had decided to intervene, though the scope and timing were unclear. “All the signals are that a U.S. attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes. Unpredictability is part of the strategy,” a Western military official told Reuters.
The turmoil inside Iran has widened over two weeks from protests over dire economic conditions into what both Iranian authorities and Western adversaries describe as the most violent unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The U.S.-based HRANA rights group said it has verified the deaths of 2,403 protesters and 147 government-affiliated individuals, with total figures dwarfing previous crackdowns. An Iranian official has put the death toll at more than 2,000, while another rights group has cited a higher figure of more than 2,600. An internet blackout has further hampered verification.
Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi said the country has “never faced this volume of destruction.” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described “the most violent repression in Iran’s contemporary history.”
The United States maintains extensive assets across the region, including Al Udeid in Qatar and the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. Despite the scale of the unrest, a Western official said Iran’s security apparatus still appears to be in control and the government does not seem near collapse. Iranian state television has aired large funeral processions for those killed, with mourners waving national flags and images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Security Council briefing is expected to give member states an update as Washington, Tehran and regional capitals brace for possible U.S. action — and potential Iranian retaliation against U.S. bases in the Middle East.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
