In a letter to the UN secretary general and the president of the UN Security Council (UNSC) Amir Saeed Iravani stressed that Iran’s operations focus solely on facilities and capabilities that serve as the origin or support base for attacks against the Iranian people.
The full text of the letter is as follows:
Upon instructions from my Government, and further to our previous letter dated 3 March 2026 (S/2026/121) concerning the ongoing acts of aggression and the unprovoked war waged by the United States and the Israeli regime against the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the exercise of Iran’s inherent right of self-defense under the Charter of the United Nations and international law, I wish to draw the attention of Your Excellency and the members of the Security Council to the following:
The joint military aggression by the Israeli regime and the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was launched on Saturday, 28 February 2026, with the assassination of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and a number of senior officials of my country, as well as with simultaneous attacks against military and civilian infrastructure—including schools, hospitals, sports facilities, residential homes, and public service centers and which continues to this day, constitutes a flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran;
Responding to this brutal military aggression constitutes the Islamic Republic of Iran’s inherent right of self-defense, as enshrined in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.
The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are utilizing all available capabilities and means to repel this criminal aggression. The exercise of Iran’s inherent right of self-defence will continue until such time as the aggression ceases, or until the United Nations Security Council fulfils its responsibility under Article 39 of the Charter by determining the aggressors and ensuring their responsibility and accountability for their acts of aggression;
As explained in several communications from the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Security Council, under the fundamental principle of sic utere tuo ut alienum non laedas, States are prohibited from allowing their territory to be used, directly or indirectly, to cause damage to other States. In this regard, General Assembly resolution 3314 (XXIX) of 14 December 1974 (Definition of Aggression), adopted by consensus and reflecting customary international law, qualifies, in Article 3(f), as an act of aggression “the action of a State in allowing its territory, which it has placed at the disposal of another State, to be used by that other State for perpetrating an act of aggression against a third State.”; Furthermore, as a fundamental principle of international law, States must undertake all necessary measures to prevent armed forces stationed within their territory from committing acts of aggression against other States and must not facilitate or support such acts. It is evident that, in the event of a breach of these fundamental obligations, a State whose territory has been used to carry out acts of aggression against a third State bears international legal responsibility, including responsibility for the reparation of the direct and indirect damages resulting from such acts;
In exercising its inherent right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in light of the evident failure of the United Nations Security Council to discharge its duties and responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations, the Islamic Republic of Iran has undertaken necessary and proportionate defensive operations against the bases and facilities of the aggressors in the region. Such actions are lawful under international law and had been clearly and repeatedly warned of in advance through various channels and at different levels;
Nothing can deny or undermine Iran’s inherent right to defend itself against the military ggression of the United States and the Israeli regime. Iran’s defensive operations are directed solely against the targets and capabilities that serve as the source or origin of acts of aggression against the Iranian people, or that are used in support of such acts. Countries in the region are fully aware that the presence of United States military bases on their territory has contributed nothing to regional security and has instead served only to support the perpetration of crimes against Iranian civilians, including women and children, by the agents of the United States and the Zionist regime; and
The Islamic Republic of Iran remains committed to maintaining and strengthening friendly relations with the countries of the region based on mutual respect, the principle of good-neighbourliness, and respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Iran emphasises that its defensive operations against United States military bases and facilities in the region should in no way be interpreted as hostility or enmity toward the countries of the region.
I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as an official document of the Security Council.
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration.
MNA
