First Lady Melania Trump at the head of the UN Security Council meeting

Amidst ongoing US military actions in Iran, US First Lady Melania Trump chaired a United Nations Security Council meeting in New York on Monday, focusing on children and their education in conflict zones. The United States holds the presidency of the UN Security Council this month, and this marks the first time in history that a spouse of a world leader has chaired such a meeting.

The First Lady further emphasized the role of children's education in promoting tolerance and world peace during her speech. Although she did not directly mention any specific military operations, she expressed her condolences to the families of fallen American service members. She stated that the bravery and dedication of these service members would always be remembered, wished a speedy recovery to all who were injured, and mentioned that her prayers were with them during this challenging period. Furthermore, Mrs. Trump, who officially advocates for children's rights, stated that the United States stands for all children around the world and hopes that peace will soon prevail for them.

UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo also addressed the meeting, stating that children are the most severely affected when conflicts arise. She pointed out that this truth was once again brought to mind over the past two days, and due to ongoing military operations in the region, schools in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman have been forced to close and switch to remote learning.

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities state that 153 people were killed in an attack on a primary school in Minab, Iran, on Saturday. Iran has attributed responsibility for this attack to the United States and Israel. Speaking before the start of Monday's meeting, Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani stated that it was utterly shameful and hypocritical for the United States to convene a high-level meeting on protecting children on the very first day of its Security Council presidency.

However, the US Central Command stated that it is looking into reports regarding the incident in the Minab area. Furthermore, the Israeli military declared that it was not aware of any Israeli military operations conducted in the relevant area. Commenting on this, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Monday that the United States would never intentionally target a school.