Danny Danon calls for UN to designate IRGC as a terrorist organization

Danny Danon addresses UN in Farsi, calls for action against Iran and support for peace.

By HANNAH SARISOHN DECEMBER 18, 2024 22:13 Updated: DECEMBER 18, 2024 22:18

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon at the UN Security Council meeting on Lebanon, September 24, 2024. (photo credit: PERRY BINDELGLASS)

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon addressed the Iranian regime directly in Farsi during Wednesday's session of the United Nations Security Council, saying to not miss this rare, historic opportunity and "take action now."

"I am telling the Iranian people, we know the cost of freedom and the courage it demands," Danon said before the Security Council. "Your fight is not just for yourselves but for the millions of lives the regime has destabilized and destroyed. In your hands lie the power to restore the beautiful Iranian nation, to rebuild a land rich in history, culture and resilience."

Danon was the last diplomat to speak in Wednesday's session centered on the Palestinian question and Israel's ongoing war with Hamas. Earlier in the session, Michael Levy, brother of Israeli hostage Or Levy, testified before the council about his family's experience as a hostage family. 

The chance before us is clear, Danon said, to finally end the Islamic regime of Iran's aspirations for a Shiite supremacist Empire, the chance to "liberate the world from the most corrupt, most violent, most destabilizing regime."

"Israel has acted decisively," he said, by striking terror networks that once "cast a shadow over our region."

Michael Levy, brother of Gaza Hostage Or Levy, addresses the UN Security Council, December 18, 2024. (credit: courtesy of the Hostage Families Forum)

Securing regional peace

But the burden of securing peace does not rest on Israel's shoulders alone, Dannon added.  

Iran's provocations continue to escalate, he continued, with shameless threats about its nuclear ambitions. Iran's proxies in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq also remain active and deadly, Danon said, noting "this is not a localized threat."

"The Islamic regime of Iran is a danger to the entire world. The recent report from the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's nuclear progression, alongside the recent letter from the UK, France and Germany, highlighting Iran's and I quote, 'significant non compliance,' were cries for immediate action," according to Danon. "This is not about a hypothetical future. The danger is already here, looming on the horizon."

Danon urged the Council to implement "crushing" sanctions to suffocate Iran's ability to fund its proxies and called on the UN body to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, calling these steps "imperative."

Danon then turned to Syria, linking Assad's leadership to the IRGC. 

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"We are now approaching the holiday of Hanukkah. It is a time of reflection and resilience, a time to draw lessons from history," Danon concluded. "Hanukkah tells the story of two miracles, the first of the oil lasting for eight days in the temple. It was a divine act beyond human control."

But the second miracle, he said, was the triumph of the Maccabees over the mighty Greek empire. 

"With a statement to human courage, to the will of a small but determined people who refused to bow to tyranny," he said. "Just weeks ago, we saw a cruel and evil regime also overthrown by the determined population, which had instead been oppressed for decades. We all know what Assad did to his people."

"Let me be unequivocal," Danon continued. "Israel has no intention of occupying Syria or parts of Syria. We are not empire builders. We are defenders.

Defenders of "our people, our borders and our right to live in peace," he said. 

Danon maintained Israel's actions are "limited and defensive."