Iranian envoy in UNSC thanks Pakistan, Russia, and China for condemning US, Israel

HAMILTON: Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations sharply criticised the United States and Israel on Saturday, accusing them of waging a “war against the Charter of the United Nations” during an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.

Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told the council that Tehran had repeatedly warned about what he described as “warmongering statements and interfering actions in the internal affairs of Iran by the President of the US.”

“We have communicated on several occasions with this Council and the Secretary-General about warmongering statements and interfering actions in the internal affairs of Iran in a blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law, and called for Council action, but regrettably, all went unanswered,” Iravani said.

He stressed that the actions against Iran amounted to “a clear act of aggression” and described them as “an open armed aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

“The United States and Israel’s war today is not merely a war against Iran. It is a war against the Charter of the United Nations, a war against international law and a war against international legal order,” he added.

Iravani expressed gratitude to Russia, China and Pakistan for what he called their “principled position” condemning the alleged unlawful acts. He criticised other council members, saying it was “regrettable that some members of this body, in a blatant double standard, disregard the flagrant act of aggression committed by the US and Israel against Iran and condemn Iran for exercising its inherent right to self-defence under the UN Charter.”

Highlighting the reported human toll of the attacks, Iravani described the situation as “a war crime, and a crime against humanity.”

He also accused the US envoy to the UN, Mike Waltz, of attempting “to distort facts and rely on misinformation to justify the blatant aggression of the United States and Israel.”

 “The justification advanced by the representative of the United States today is illegal and entirely devoid of legal foundation,” Iravani said, adding that the US and Israeli actions “have no standing under international law.”

Rejecting claims raised by France, the United Kingdom and other Western members regarding Iran’s nuclear activities, Iravani insisted that assertions about Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme “lack factual and legal basis.”

The emergency session was requested by the permanent missions of France, Bahrain, China, Russia and Colombia amid escalating tensions.