Amir Saeed Iravani made the remarks on Monday while addressing a UN Security Council session on the safety and protection of waterways. The session was held as the US maintains a naval blockade on Iran, while Tehran keeps in place restrictions on navigation in the Strait of Hormuz to ensure the security of the key waterway.
He said that the United States and its supporters’ “unlawful and destabilizing actions have heightened tensions and endangered maritime safety and freedom of navigation. Any claim to the contrary is unfounded and lacks credibility.”
The following is the full text of the Iranian envoy’s address to the session.
Mr. President,
The Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently upheld freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. For decades, Iran has faithfully discharged its responsibilities as a coastal State, ensuring the safety of maritime routes and safeguarding the uninterrupted flow of international navigation.
Since 28 February, the United States and the Israeli regime have waged an unwarranted, large-scale war of aggression against Iran in flagrant violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, particularly Article 2(4), disrupting maritime security and freedom of navigation, and threatening regional and international peace and security.
The Strait of Hormuz has been increasingly utilised to support military attacks in the region, including the transfer of military equipment intended for hostile actions against Iran. This militarization has exposed international shipping to heightened and unprecedented risks in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
In the meantime, the United States has continued its internationally wrongful acts by imposing a so-called maritime blockade, unlawfully seizing Iranian commercial vessels, and detaining their crews. These dangerous escalating measures violate international law, breach the UN Charter, constitute the crime of piracy, and amount to acts of aggression, as defined in Article 3(c) of General Assembly Resolution 3314 (XXIX) of 14 December 1974.
Iran strongly condemns these unlawful actions and calls on the Security Council to take a firm stance by condemning them, ensuring full accountability, and demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the vessels and their crews.
Mr. President,
As the principal coastal State, which the Strait of Hormuz lies within its territorial sea, Iran has taken necessary and practical measures, consistent with international law, to address emerging threats for safe and secure navigation, maintain the continuous passage of vessels, and prevent the misuse of this vital waterway for hostile or military purposes.
These measures are grounded in Iran’s rights and obligations under the law of the sea and its national laws and regulations, with a view to striking an appropriate balance between the security interests of the coastal State and the continued safe conduct of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, in a highly volatile environment. These practical measures will be carefully examined in light of evolving circumstances.
Iran is not a party to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Accordingly, it is not bound by its treaty-based provisions, except to the extent that specific rules reflected therein are universally recognized as customary international law.
Lasting stability and security in the Persian Gulf and the wider region can only be achieved through a durable and permanent cessation of aggression against Iran, supplemented by credible guarantees of non-recurrence, and full respect for the legitimate sovereign rights and interests of Iran.
In conclusion, I categorically reject the allegations made against my country at today’s meeting. Claims made by some delegations lack any legal basis. They serve only to divert attention from realities on the ground and the commission of an internationally wrongful act by the United States and its allies.
Those delegations have once again exposed their double standards, demonstrating that their so-called concern for maritime safety and navigation is neither genuine nor consistent with their actions and positions.
They assert that navigational rights must not be threatened, but deliberately ignore the United States’ unlawful actions, including the imposition of a so-called maritime blockade, and its recent terrorist attacks on Iran’s commercial vessels- the conduct that bears the hallmarks of piracy and hostage-taking, and acts like a pirate and terrorist group.
Certain delegations have also misused this Council by deviating from the agenda, aligning themselves with the aggressors, and raising irrelevant and unrelated issues in today’s discussion. We firmly reject these unfounded allegations, which do not merit a response.
Mr. President,
Let’s make it clear: the responsibility for any disruption, obstruction, or other interference with maritime transport in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz lies directly with the aggressors—the United States and its supporters—whose unlawful and destabilizing actions have heightened tensions and endangered maritime safety and freedom of navigation. Any claim to the contrary is unfounded and lacks credibility.
MNA