“You Tried to Kill Me Three Times”: Iranian Activist Masih Alinejad Confronts Tehran Envoy at UN

Iranian dissident and women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad delivered one of the most explosive speeches at the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, directly accusing the Iranian regime of attempting to assassinate her multiple times and warning that the bloodshed inside Iran will escalate unless the world takes decisive action.

Addressing an emergency session convened amid growing unrest in Iran, Alinejad spoke face-to-face with Iran’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Gholamhossein Darzi, who was seated across the chamber.

“You have tried to kill me three times,” Alinejad said, breaking protocol in a rare and confrontational moment. “I have seen my would-be assassin with my own eyes — in front of my garden, in my home in Brooklyn.”

The Iranian diplomat remained silent, staring straight ahead as the activist continued her address.

‘Treat the Regime Like ISIS’

Alinejad, who lives in the United States under heavy security, compared the Iranian government’s actions to those of extremist organisations.

“The Islamic Republic is behaving like ISIS and deserves to be treated like ISIS,” she told the council. “That is how you save innocent lives.”

She warned that the ongoing crackdown on protesters inside Iran — already described by rights groups as one of the deadliest since 1979 — would only intensify if the international community limited itself to verbal condemnation.

“Brutal slaughter will get much worse if you don’t take serious action,” she said. “Iranians don’t want empty words and empty condemnations.”

US Voices Strong Support for Iranian Protesters

The emergency UN session was called by the United States amid escalating violence and a sweeping communications blackout in Iran.

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the protests represented a historic challenge to the Iranian regime.

“The people of Iran are demanding their freedom like never before in the Islamic Republic’s brutal history,” Waltz told the council. “President Donald Trump and the United States of America stand by the brave people of Iran.”

He rejected Tehran’s claims that the protests were foreign-instigated, saying the regime was “weaker than ever” and “afraid of its own people.”

UN Urges Restraint, Warns Against Military Escalation

While acknowledging the severity of the situation, the UN leadership urged caution. Speaking on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres, Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee warned that any military strike on Iran could further destabilise the region.

She stressed that additional escalation would add “volatility to an already combustible situation” and reiterated calls for diplomacy, dialogue, and restraint.

A Defiant Message Amid Global Silence

Alinejad’s speech comes as Iran faces unprecedented pressure over mass protests, alleged executions, and a near-total internet shutdown that has cut the country off from the outside world.

Her message to the Security Council was stark: silence and caution will only embolden repression.

“Tell the people of Iran that the world is not looking away,” she said. “Because every moment of delay costs lives.”