US Ambassador to the United Nations Dorothy Camille Shea on Friday blamed Israel for spreading chaos and terror before realising it was a Freudian slip. Ms Shea then corrected herself, replacing "Israel" with "Iran".
During her speech at a UN Security Council meeting, Ms Shea said, "Israel's government has also spread chaos, terror, and suffering throughout the region."
Next, she paused awkwardly for a second, realised her mistake, and corrected, "Iran's government has also spread chaos, terror, and suffering throughout the region."
During today's remarks at the UN, US Ambassador Camille Shea made a Freudian slip, stating that Israel spreads “chaos, terror, and suffering” in the region; before quickly attempting to redirect the blame toward Iran. pic.twitter.com/nKjRaPfcfl
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 20, 2025
Ms Shea further said the G7, earlier this week, said Iran was the principal source of instability and terror in the Middle East.
She added, "While the United States was not involved in Israel's strikes, let there be no doubt that the United States continues to stand with Israel and supports its actions against Iran's nuclear ambitions."
The video quickly went viral, leading to a flurry of comments and mockery on social media.
Journalist Margarita Simonyan posted the clip with the caption, "It's always foreign policy that brings out Freudian slips in American officials. Curious."
US representative to the UN Dorothy Shea:
— Margarita Simonyan (@M_Simonyan) June 20, 2025
"Israel's government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region..."
Awkward pause.
"Iran's government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region..."
It's always foreign policy that brings… pic.twitter.com/W5UMV52rVn
Economist Adam Ismail also shared the video, stating, "Whoops! This must be the mother of all Freudian slips. The US representative of the UN Security Council calls Israel a terrorist state."
Whoops!
— Adam Ismail (@aadanweli) June 20, 2025
This must be the mother of all Freudian slips.
The US representative of the UN Security Council calls Israel a terrorist state:
"Israel's government has also spread chaos, terror, and suffering throughout the region" pic.twitter.com/c54wkPuqMw
One person commented, "Oops. The mask slipped. Even the US couldn't hide it this time that Israel has spread chaos, terror, and suffering."
Oops. The mask slipped. ????
— Mansoor Ahmed Qureshi (@MansurQr) June 20, 2025
Even the U.S. couldn't hide it this time: “Israel has spread chaos, terror, and suffering.” pic.twitter.com/OGgd3JIk5S
This is not the first time that a US official has made an accidental remark against Israel.
Earlier, in 2024, former US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller faced harsh criticism after he said that Israel had the right to target civilians, instead of Hamas fighters.
On Saturday, Israel and Iran continued their aerial assault on each other, with Tehran saying it wouldn't negotiate its nuclear programme while faced with threats. This came after US President Donald Trump said he may support a ceasefire between the two regional arch-foes "depending on the circumstances".
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