Iran Rejects Washington’s Justification for Attacks Under Article 51 of UN Charter
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran has formally condemned the United States for recent attacks on its safeguarded nuclear facilities, rejecting Washington’s justification under Article 51 of the UN Charter and warning of dangerous precedents.
In a letter dated 25 June 2025, Iran’s representative to the United Nations Amir-Saeid Iravani rejected claims made by the US during the Security Council’s 24 June meeting on non-proliferation.
The US had cited Article 51 of the UN Charter to justify its 21 June strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities as an act of self-defense.
Iran denounced this explanation as a “blatant distortion” of international law and the Charter, stating that the attack violated its sovereignty and the principles governing the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
“Iran’s nuclear sites are under full IAEA safeguards and have been repeatedly confirmed as peaceful,” the letter said.
The document cited General Assembly Resolution 3314 and International Court of Justice rulings—including the 1986 Nicaragua and 2003 Oil Platforms cases—to argue that preemptive force cannot constitute lawful self-defense.
Iran also dismissed allegations of an imminent nuclear threat as “unfounded,” pointing to recent IAEA reports and US intelligence assessments that showed no evidence of weapons development.
UN Security Council Resolution 487 (1981) and IAEA General Conference Resolutions GC(XXIX)/RES/444 and GC(XXXIV)/RES/533 were referenced to reinforce that attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities are prohibited under international law.
The letter condemned both the US and Israel for invoking false pretexts to carry out unlawful aggression and warned that such actions severely undermine the authority and credibility of the Security Council as well as the Non-Proliferation Treaty and global nuclear safeguards.
Iran urged Security Council members to reject the “preemptive self-defense” doctrine and condemn the US and Israel for violating the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international conduct.
It also called on the UN Secretary General to report on the implementation of Resolution 487, especially regarding Israeli regime’s violations and targeting of peaceful nuclear sites and facilities under the safeguards of the IAEA.
Iran requested that the letter be circulated as a document of the Security Council.
