Iran Accuses UN, EU of Silence as US, Israel Continue Pounding of Tehran

• Trump insists he must be involved in picking next Iran leader 

•Israel closes Al Aqsa mosque, citing safety concerns

• China urges refiners to suspend fuel exports 

•US senate vote fails to rein in Trump war powers

• American president fires homeland security secretary 

•UK refuses to rule out joining strikes, more nations dragged into conflict

Emmanuel Addeh and Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Iran yesterday accused the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU)  of maintaining a troubling silence as the US and Israel intensified coordinated air and missile strikes on Tehran and the escalating war entered day six.

The accusation came as Donald Trump declared that Washington must play a decisive role in determining Iran’s future leadership, insisting the US could not allow a hostile regime to re-emerge after the current conflict.

In Jerusalem, Israeli authorities shut down the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to worshippers, citing security concerns as tensions escalated across the region and fears grew of possible retaliatory attacks.

Besides, China called on domestic refiners to suspend exports of refined petroleum products in a move widely interpreted as an effort to protect domestic energy supplies amid the growing instability in global oil markets triggered by the conflict.

In Washington, an attempt by lawmakers to limit the president’s authority to conduct the war failed after the United States Senate rejected a resolution aimed at curbing Trump’s war powers.

In the same vein, the US political landscape has been further shaken after Trump dismissed the country’s homeland security secretary in the midst of the escalating crisis, a move that deepened tensions within his administration.

In Europe, the United Kingdom refused to rule out joining the military campaign against Iran, as diplomatic efforts faltered and more countries appeared at risk of being drawn into the expanding conflict.

Iran Accuses UN, EU of Silence

Iran has accused major international institutions of failing in their responsibility to safeguard global peace, sharply criticising the United Nations and the European Union for what it described as “silence” over escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Speaking during a media briefing with journalists in Abuja, the Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran in Nigeria, Gholamreza Mahdavi Raja alleged that the lack of decisive action by global bodies has emboldened aggression in the region and weakened confidence in the international security system.

According to the envoy, the failure of the United Nations Security Council to convene an urgent session on the crisis raises serious concerns about the credibility of institutions tasked with maintaining global stability.

“The whole region is facing conflict, yet there has been no urgent meeting of the Security Council, no strong reaction and no clear statement,” he said. “Where is the United Nations? Where is the European Union? These institutions were created to manage global security, but today they are silent,” he added.

The Iranian ambassador argued that the absence of strong diplomatic intervention has created the perception that international institutions are influenced by powerful states, particularly the United States.

He claimed that global organisations risk losing legitimacy if they fail to respond impartially to acts of aggression or political assassinations. “If international bodies remain silent in the face of such developments, they risk losing their credibility,” he said.

He also accused Western powers of pursuing destabilisation policies across the Middle East, pointing to conflicts in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq as evidence of what he described as a broader geopolitical strategy.

The Iranian official maintained that Tehran’s recent military actions targeting American bases in the region were acts of self-defence following attacks against Iranian leadership. He insisted the strikes were directed solely at military facilities and not civilian infrastructure. “Our response is defensive. We are targeting military installations used against our country,” he said.

Iran had also informed neighbouring states in the Persian Gulf that its operations would focus on American facilities within their territories rather than their cities, he added.The Iranian official warned that the ongoing crisis could have far-reaching consequences for the global economy, particularly energy markets.

He noted that instability around the strategic Strait of Hormuz could disrupt energy shipments from the Persian Gulf, a route that carries a significant share of the world’s oil and gas supplies.

“Any conflict in this region will inevitably affect oil prices, transportation and the global economy,” but insist that it was not caused by Iran by the aggressors, US and Israel and solely in their hands to stop the crisis.

While reiterating that Iran does not seek war, the official said the current situation has pushed diplomacy to the background. “For now, our priority is defending our sovereignty and national security,” he said, adding that Tehran believes responsibility for de-escalation lies with those who initiated the conflict.

Trump Rejects Khamenei’s Son as Father’s Successor

Also, Trump told Axios on Thursday that he needed to be personally involved in selecting Iran’s next leader. “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Axios quoted Trump as saying in an interview.

“I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy (Rodriguez) in Venezuela,” Trump said. Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, has survived the US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran in which his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, Iranian sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

A mid-ranking cleric with close ties to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, hardliner Mojtaba is one of the most influential figures in the Iranian clerical establishment and is seen as a possible successor to his father. Iran has not yet announced a new leader.

Israel Closes Al Aqsa Mosque

The temporary measure, during the holy Muslim fasting month, followed tensions as Jewish activists increasingly encroached on the contested religious site. The police said the closure was intended to ensure the safety of civilians while Israel was coming under Iranian missile attacks.

The closure was the latest blow for Muslims from Israeli-imposed measures at the disputed and volatile site. And it comes during a sensitive time, with the region at war again.

“The Muslim worshipers who associate Ramadan with praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque are very heartbroken by this closure,” said Mustafa Abu Sway, a Palestinian Islamic scholar and deputy head of the Islamic Waqf, the religious trust that manages the Muslim shrines. “If the issue is the safety of worshipers, then Al-Aqsa Mosque has massive subterranean halls that can host thousands of people,” Sway added. “Our prayers are for a quick end of this war and for a comprehensive peace in the Middle East,” he said.

The hotly contested plateau is revered by Jews as the location of two ancient temples, and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, containing the mosque and other shrines, including the golden-capped Dome of the Rock.

The compound is both Judaism’s holiest site and Islam’s third holiest site. It has long been a flashpoint in the Arab-Israeli conflict, a crucible of Jewish-Muslim religious and political tensions that have often devolved into violence, the New York Times reported.

US Senate Vote Fails to Rein in Trump War Powers

Besides, a bipartisan resolution aimed at limiting Trump’s ability to wage war in Iran has failed in the US Senate, as the strikes continue. The war powers measure was rejected in a 53-47 vote largely along party lines. It would have halted US military action in Iran without congressional approval.

Democrats argued that Trump has sidelined Congress and offered shifting reasons for the war. Most Republicans blocked the resolution, but some said they could change course if the war expands in the coming weeks.

Two senators crossed the aisle during the vote. Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania opposed the measure, while Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky voted for it. Otherwise, everyone else voted along party lines.

Senator Susan Collins, a moderate Republican from Maine, voted against the measure, saying afterwards that passing the legislation would have sent the wrong message to Iran and US troops.

“At this juncture, providing unequivocal support to our service members is critically important, as is ongoing consultation by the administration with Congress,” she said.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said before voting in favour of the measure: “Do you stand with the American people who are exhausted with forever wars in the Middle East or stand with Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth as they bumble us headfirst into another war?”

Trump Fires Homeland Security Secretary

Trump on Thursday redeployed Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, making her the first Cabinet secretary to  exit her post and capping off a tumultuous year in which she oversaw the president’s increasingly unpopular mass deportation agenda.

The president said he would tap Senator Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to be her replacement, elevating a fiercely loyal first-term senator.

“I am pleased to announce that the highly respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

He added that Noem, who he said “has served us well,” will take over a new role called “Envoy for The Shield of the Americas.” The president described that position as one that will lead “our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere.”

An administration official told NBC News that the president decided to fire Noem due to “a culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures including the fallout in Minnesota, the ad campaign, the allegations of infidelity, the mismanagement of her staff, and her constant feuding with the heads of other agencies, including CBP and ICE.”

UK Refuses to Rule Out Joining Strikes

Britain’s defence minister refused to rule out British jets joining strikes on Iran amid a buildup of forces in the Middle East threatening escalation.

John Healey, speaking at the RAF Akrotiri, was asked whether he could rule out Britain getting involved in an offensive capacity – after the prime minister said the government had learned from the “mistakes of Iraq”.

Healey told Sky News: “As circumstances in any conflict change, you’ve got to be willing to adapt the action you take.”

Asked later whether he would rule out British aircraft taking part in offensive strikes against Iran, Healey replied: “Everything that we have done is defensive, is legal, and is coordinated with other allies.”

Keir Starmer also stood by the decision not to get involved in the US-Israeli strikes, saying the government had “the strength to stand by our values and our principles no matter the pressure to do otherwise”.

He said the UK’s position was that a “negotiated settlement” was the best way forward, and called for de-escalation.

The prime minister also announced the UK was sending an additional four Eurofighter Typhoons to Qatar, and that Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities would arrive in Cyprus tomorrow.

China Urges Refiners to Suspend Fuel Exports

Critically, China has asked refiners to halt signing new contracts to export fuel and to try to cancel shipments already committed as tight oil supply due to the Iran war curbs refinery output, several people with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.

The guidance does not apply to jet fuel refuelling for international flights, bonded bunkering or supplies to Hong Kong or Macau, the industry and trade sources said.

China’s National Development and Reform Commission did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Lower exports from China, one of Asia’s biggest fuel exporters, are likely to further tighten fuel supply in Asia, pushing refining margins even higher, as the impact from the war in the Middle East reverberates across the top oil importing region.

Diesel processing margins hovered at three-year highs near $49 a barrel on Thursday, LSEG pricing data showed, while jet fuel cracks were more than $55 a barrel.,

With most March exports already fixed and the difficulty in recalling cargoes, the new directive is expected to cut into exports from April onwards, the sources said. For March, exports of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel combined were expected to remain in line with earlier industry estimates of around 3.8 million metric tons, as companies cashed in robust Asian margins, multiple sources said.

China, the world’s top oil importer, manages fuel exports with a quota system to balance domestic supply-demand fundamentals, with its first batch of quota issuance for 2026 little changed from a year ago at 19 million tons.

US, Israel Continue to Pound Iran, over 1,200 Dead

The United States and Israel continued to bombard Iran yesterday, killing at least 1,230 people since Saturday, as the Israeli military issued forced evacuation orders for the entirety of Beirut’s southern suburbs, home to hundreds of thousands.

Trump said he supports Kurdish forces launching an offensive against Iran, in comments made during an interview with Reuters. “I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that. I’d be all for it,” Trump said.

When asked whether the United States would provide air cover for such an operation, Trump declined to confirm, saying, “I can’t tell you that.” He added that if Kurdish forces chose to move forward with an attack, their objective would be “to win”.

The comments come as Iranian Kurdish militias have held discussions with the United States in recent days about whether and how to attack Iranian security forces in western Iran, according to unnamed sources, cited by Reuters. The groups are based along the Iran-Iraq border in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.