The first lady chaired a Security Council meeting on children, education and technology in conflict as tensions intensified following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
First Lady Melania Trump chaired a United Nations Security Council meeting Monday focused on children and education in conflict zones, marking the first time the spouse of a sitting world leader has presided over the 15-member body.
The session, titled “Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict,” took place two days after President Donald Trump and Israel launched military strikes on Iran. The escalation prompted warnings from U.N. officials about risks to children across the region.
The United States assumed the Security Council’s rotating presidency this month, and plans for the first lady to chair the meeting were announced prior to the recent military action.
In remarks to council members, Melania Trump said, “The U.S. stands with all of the children throughout the world. I hope soon peace will be yours.” Her office stated that she sought to underscore the role of education in promoting tolerance and long-term stability.
Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, accused Israel and the United States of responsibility for a strike on a girls’ primary school in Minab, in southern Iran. He said 165 schoolgirls were killed. Reuters reported it could not independently confirm the claim.
Iravani told the council it was “deeply shameful and hypocritical” for the United States to convene a meeting on protecting children in armed conflict “while at the same time launching missile strikes against Iranian cities and bombing schools and killing children.”
On Saturday, UNICEF cited Iranian reports in a statement and said the military escalation “marks a dangerous moment for millions of children in the region,” echoing U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the allegations Monday, telling reporters, “The United States will not deliberately target a school.”
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations said he had seen conflicting accounts of the Minab incident, including reports that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps may have targeted the school, and added that Israel regretted any civilian loss of life.
China’s U.N. ambassador, Fu Cong, did not directly reference the Minab allegation but told the council that attacks on schools constitute one of the grave violations against children identified by the United Nations. He called for thorough investigations and accountability in such cases.
The meeting also reflected the Trump administration’s broader approach to international institutions. President Trump has criticized the United Nations during both of his terms, arguing that the 193-member body requires reform. The United States is currently billions of dollars behind in its assessed contributions to the U.N. budget, a figure that has grown during Trump’s presidency.
U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said last week that the decision for Melania Trump to chair the session demonstrated “the importance that the United States feels towards the Security Council and the subject at hand.”
The president struck a more conciliatory tone toward the United Nations last month during the inaugural session of his Board of Peace, an initiative he described as aimed at resolving global conflicts. Some international leaders have expressed concern that the initiative could overlap with or supplant U.N. efforts.
Although the first lady has maintained a limited public profile during much of President Trump’s time in office, she has previously engaged in children’s advocacy. In 2025, she wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin urging the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the ongoing war.
Monday’s Security Council session concluded without a formal resolution, as members reiterated calls for the protection of children amid expanding regional hostilities.