There is an old strategic maxim: never give your enemy a reason to unite his friends. Iran has spent the last two weeks doing exactly that, and the consequences are now plain for anyone paying attention to the UN Security Council chamber in New York, where 135 nations — a record — formally condemned Tehran’s missile and drone barrage against its own neighbors.

Rather than isolating its adversaries, Iran’s missile and drone barrage has pushed countries that once tried to remain neutral into closer strategic alignment with Washington and its partners. By targeting infrastructure, airports, ports, and even civilian areas across neighboring states, Tehran has alarmed governments that had little appetite for being drawn into the conflict. In the process, Iran may have triggered a geopolitical shift that strengthens the very coalition it hoped to weaken.

Every Gulf Arab nation PLUS 135 co-sponsors (a UN record) has now formally condemned Iran. The regime has never been so diplomatically isolated. https://t.co/9N34YkkXUB — Ambassador Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) March 11, 2026

Every Gulf Arab nation PLUS 135 co-sponsors (a UN record) has now formally condemned Iran. The regime has never been so diplomatically isolated. https://t.co/9N34YkkXUB

— Ambassador Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) March 11, 2026

The irony is stark: the missiles meant to demonstrate Iranian power may ultimately reshape the regional balance in ways that work against Tehran. Even longtime partners such as Russia and China chose not to defend Tehran outright, opting instead to abstain from blocking the condemnation, which signals how limited Iran’s diplomatic support has become.

BREAKING: The UN Security Council has adopted a Bahrain-led resolution on the escalating crisis in the Middle East. RESULTIn Favor: 13Against: 0Abstain: 2 (China and Russia) pic.twitter.com/fkNxaP6UFR — UN News (@UN_News_Centre) March 11, 2026

BREAKING: The UN Security Council has adopted a Bahrain-led resolution on the escalating crisis in the Middle East.

RESULTIn Favor: 13Against: 0Abstain: 2 (China and Russia) pic.twitter.com/fkNxaP6UFR

— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) March 11, 2026

Rather than weakening its adversaries, Iran’s escalation has alarmed governments across the Gulf, drawn European powers closer to the crisis, and produced a rare moment of broad international consensus against Tehran.  Not just the usual Western suspects. Not just the Gulf states who were under fire. One hundred and thirty-five co-sponsors. The regime in Tehran, which has spent decades cultivating the image of a righteous resistance power standing up to American imperialism, now finds itself more diplomatically isolated than at any point in the Islamic Republic’s history. That is a remarkable achievement — and Iran’s clerical regime earned every bit of it.

ADOPTED: The @UN Security Council has agreed Resolution 2817 condemning Iran's reckless attacks against the Gulf States and Jordan. Iran must cease all attacks and threats against regional and international security, including ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/IVpe0hmk2J — UK at the UN ???????????????? (@UKUN_NewYork) March 11, 2026

ADOPTED: The @UN Security Council has agreed Resolution 2817 condemning Iran's reckless attacks against the Gulf States and Jordan.

Iran must cease all attacks and threats against regional and international security, including ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/IVpe0hmk2J

— UK at the UN ???????????????? (@UKUN_NewYork) March 11, 2026

When Iran launched its retaliatory campaign following U.S. and Israeli strikes on its territory at the end of February, the logic — to the extent there........

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