Iran hits back at Netanyahu at UN, accuses Israel of ‘hypocrisy’
Iran hit back at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations General Assembly, accusing him of using the world body to deflect attention from Israel’s actions in Gaza and questioning why he was given a platform to speak.
In a right of reply, Nasser Asadi, third counsellor at Iran’s Permanent Mission to the UN, described Netanyahu’s remarks as a “clear example of hypocrisy” and accused Israel of committing genocide while presenting itself as a victim.
Asadi also questioned why Netanyahu was allowed to address the General Assembly despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity. Iran’s representative further asked why Israel had not faced action at the UN over what he described as repeated violations of the organisation’s principles.
The response came after Netanyahu used his UN speech to attack Iran’s leadership, describing the Iranian government as a “murderous regime” and predicting that it would eventually be toppled by its own people.
Netanyahu also defended Israel’s military actions, rejected allegations that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and accused critics of applying double standards to Israel and Iran. Dozens of delegates walked out of the chamber as he began speaking.
Iran was not alone in pushing back against Netanyahu’s address.
Türkiye criticised the Israeli leader’s remarks against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying Netanyahu’s use of the UN platform to attack Erdogan was incompatible with the principles of peace, dialogue and the rule of law. Turkish officials also accused Israel of responsibility for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Qatar rejected Netanyahu’s allegations against Doha, with its Foreign Ministry saying his repeated attacks were an attempt to divert attention from Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Netanyahu’s address came amid intense international criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and continued tensions with Iran. His speech also focused heavily on Iran, including Israel’s military operations against Iranian targets and his prediction that the Iranian government would eventually fall.
The exchanges underscored the sharp divisions at this year’s General Assembly, with Israel defending its military actions while Iran, Türkiye, Qatar and other critics challenged Netanyahu’s account of the region’s conflicts.
