According to Khabaronline, Amir Saeid Iravani, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, on Thursday local time, following “the continued threats by United States officials to resort to force, including the recent public remarks by the U.S. President regarding the potential use of Diego Garcia base to carry out a military attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council.
In the letter, the Ambassador emphasized that such threats “constitute a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international law and risk plunging the region into a new cycle of crisis and instability.” Iravani stressed: “The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly declared at the highest levels that it seeks neither escalation nor war. Iran will not initiate any war. However, should the Islamic Republic of Iran be subjected to military aggression, it will respond decisively, proportionately, and in accordance with its inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.”
The full text of the letter from the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, addressed to António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and James Kariuki, President of the Security Council, is as follows:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Further to the instructions of my Government and with reference to this Mission’s previous correspondence dated 30 December 2025 and 2, 9, 13, 22 and 28 January 2026 regarding the continued threats by the United States of America to resort to force against the Islamic Republic of Iran, I hereby write to once again urgently draw your attention and that of the members of the Security Council to the ongoing threats by U.S. officials to use force, including the recent public statement by the President of the United States concerning the possible use of Diego Garcia base to conduct a military strike against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The aforementioned threats constitute a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international law and risk plunging the region into a new cycle of crisis and instability. In a message posted on social media on 18 February 2026, the President of the United States explicitly and publicly threatened the Islamic Republic of Iran with the use of force, stating: “If Iran decides not to reach an agreement, the United States may be forced to use Diego Garcia and the airfield at Fairford to eliminate a potential attack [by Iran].”
Given the fragile and unstable situation prevailing in the region, as well as the continued repositioning and deployment of U.S. military equipment and assets, such belligerent statements by the President of the United States cannot be dismissed as mere rhetoric. Rather, they indicate a real risk of military aggression, the consequences of which would be catastrophic for the region and would pose a serious threat to international peace and security.
With the aim of clearly and unequivocally conveying its concerns and seeking the complete, effective, and verifiable lifting of unlawful and inhumane unilateral coercive measures imposed against its people, Iran has engaged seriously and in good faith in nuclear negotiations with the United States, adopting a constructive approach. At the same time, on the basis of the principle of reciprocity, the Islamic Republic of Iran has sought to address and resolve ambiguities related to its peaceful nuclear program in order to achieve a mutually acceptable, result-oriented solution fully consistent with the recognized, inalienable rights of all States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Iran continues to believe that if the United States pursues these talks with seriousness and sincerity and demonstrates tangible respect for the principles of the UN Charter and peremptory norms of international law, the achievement of a sustainable and balanced solution is entirely possible.
Under these circumstances, the Islamic Republic of Iran calls upon you and all members of the Security Council, in accordance with the Council’s primary responsibility under the UN Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security, to fully exercise your authority and good offices to ensure that the United States of America immediately ceases its unlawful threats to use force, adheres to its obligations under the UN Charter, particularly Article 2(4), and refrains from any action that could further escalate tensions or lead to military confrontation. It is evident that the consequences of such confrontation for regional and international peace and security would be grave and far-reaching.
The Security Council and the Secretary-General must act without delay, before it is too late.
The Security Council must not allow threats of the use of force and acts of aggression to be normalized, legitimized, regarded as acceptable political practice, or used as an instrument of foreign policy. If such unlawful conduct goes unanswered, another independent Member State will soon be next. The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly declared at the highest levels that it seeks neither escalation nor war. Iran will not initiate any war.
However, should the Islamic Republic of Iran be subjected to military aggression, it will respond decisively and proportionately, in the exercise of its inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. In such a situation, and within the framework of Iran’s defensive response, all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region will be considered legitimate targets. The full and direct responsibility for any unpredictable or uncontrollable consequences shall rest with the United States of America.
I would be grateful if the present letter could be circulated as a document of the Security Council. Please accept, Excellencies, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Amir Saeid Iravani
Ambassador and Permanent Representative
Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
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