In a letter addressed to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN Security Council Abukar Dahir Osman on January 28, Saeed Iravani drew urgent attention to an explicit and public threat of force made by US President Donald Trump.
Citing recent statements and military posturing by Washington, the Iranian envoy said the threats constitute a flagrant breach of the UN Charter and international law, warned of their destabilizing consequences for regional and international peace, and called on the UN to reject any use or threat of force against Iran and hold the US accountable for its obligations as a permanent member of the Security Council.
The full text of his letter is as follows:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Excellencies,
Upon instructions from my Government, and following our previous letters dated 30 December 2025 and 2, 9, 13, and 22 January 2026 regarding the deliberate interference of the United States of America in the internal affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its persistent threat to use force, I write further to draw your urgent attention, as well as that of the members of the Security Council, to yet another explicit and public threat of the use of force and military attack made by the President of the United States of America. In a public statement, he openly threatened the Islamic Republic of Iran with military action.
On 28 January 2026, in a post on social media, President Trump stated:
“A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary. …. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was “Operation Midnight Hammer,” a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! … .”
This statement, and the language employed therein, constitute an explicit and unambiguous threat of the use of force against a sovereign Member State of the United Nations, in flagrant violation of the purposes and principles of the Charter.
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejects and condemns such warmongering statements as irresponsible, provocative, and in flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. In particular, the threat of the use of force against a sovereign State constitutes a manifest breach of Article 2(4) of the Charter, which unequivocally prohibits both the use and the threat of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State.
Regrettably, this statement is not an isolated incident but forms part of a broader and well-documented pattern of coercion, intimidation, destabilizing activities, covert intelligence operations, and unlawful pressure by the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Such conduct heightens regional tensions, increases the risk of miscalculation, and poses a direct threat to international peace and security.
The Islamic Republic of Iran remains fully committed to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. At the same time, Iran unequivocally reaffirms its inherent right of self-defense under international law and will exercise its right to take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and people against any armed attack or act of aggression, for which the United States would bear full and direct responsibility for any unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences.
In light of the United States’ consistent and ongoing grave violations of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, the Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates its call upon the Secretary General and the responsible members of the Security Council, acting within their Charter-mandated authority, to categorically reject any use or threat of force by the United States against Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran further calls upon the Secretary General and the responsible members of the Security Council to remind the United States, as a permanent member of the Security Council, of its binding obligations under the Charter and of the serious consequences of any military aggression, and to ensure the cessation of all threats, coercive measures, and unlawful and destabilizing actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which constitute flagrant and ongoing breaches of the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter.
I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as an official document of the Security Council.
Please accept, Excellencies, the assurances of my highest consideration.
MNA
