First Lady Melania Trump broke her silence about the US military action in Iran without actually mentioning the country by talking about the service members who have lost their lives in the conflict thus far.
'Their bravery and dedication will always be remembered', Melania noted on Monday as she made history as the first-ever presidential spouse to chair a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Melania's visit to the UN comes just two days after her husband unleashed Operation Epic Fury in Iran, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of top Iranian officials Saturday.
Four American service members have also been confirmed dead as a result of the operation, and the president projected in a Sunday interview with the Daily Mail that the war would last four weeks.
'I extend my earnest wishes for a swift and smooth recovery to all those who have been injured,' Melania added in her speech.
Melania also emphasized 'education's role in advancing tolerance and world peace,' at the UN, which was the planned topic of her speech per an earlier media release from the First Lady's office.
'A nation that makes learning sacred protects its books, its language, its science, and its mathematics; it protects its future,' Melania stated while sitting in the president's seat at the UNSC.
'This leads to something powerful, to greater understanding, moral reasoning, and tolerance of others,' she added.
US First Lady Melania Trump presides over a United Nations Security Council meeting, at U.N. headquarters in New York City on March 2nd, 2026
US First Lady Melania Trump arrives to preside over a United Nations Security Council meeting, at UN headquarters in New York City, US March 2, 2026
First Lady Melania Trump is photographed with UN ambassador Mike Waltz at the UN headquarters ahead of a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York City, US, March 2, 2026
Melania Trump shakes hands with James Kariuki, Britain's Charge d'Affaires to the UN, as she arrives to preside over a United Nations Security Council meeting
As Melania took the gavel at the UNSC meeting Monday afternoon, it marked 'the first time a first lady, or first gentleman for that matter, has ever presided over a Security Council meeting,' per a UN spokesman.
President Trump's UN ambassador Mike Waltz, a former congressman and White House National Security Advisor, is serving as the president of the UNSC for the month of March and invited Melania to sit in his seat during Monday's meeting.
Over the weekend, Waltz boldly rejected the 'ridiculous and frankly farcical assertion that US actions' in Iran were 'inconsistent with international law' during an emergency UNSC meeting held Saturday.
A new poll paints a bleak picture of public support for Operation Epic Fury: just 27 percent of American adults approve of the US strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey, which was published Sunday, found 43 percent disapprove and 29 percent are undecided.
The poll also found that about half of Americans believe the president is too willing to use military force to advance U.S. interests. Overall, 56 percent of those surveyed said Trump's readiness to deploy military power is excessive.
The president and first lady visited the UN together back in September, when they were greeted by an escalator that stopped as soon as the duo got on, as well as a teleprompter that stopped working during Trump's speech.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, September 23rd 2025, at UN headquarter
A plume of smoke rises after an explosion on February 28, 2026 in Tehran, Iran
'All I got from the United Nations was an escalator on the way up that stopped in the middle,' Trump joked at the time, adding, 'If the first lady wasn't in great shape, she would've fallen.'
Melania has previously spoken out about the impact of war on children, notably writing a letter to a personal 'peace letter' to Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling him 'it is time' to protect the children of the world during her husband's peace summit with the Russian leader last August.
'Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation's rustic countryside or a magnificent city-center. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger,' she said in the letter, also calling for Putin to 'single handedly restore' the 'melodic laughter' of Ukrainian children.
