Iran Urges UNSC to Recognize US, Israel as Aggressors

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN Security Council Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett on June 28, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the UN Security Council should hold the US and the Zionist regime accountable for aggression against Iran and prevent the recurrence of heinous and serious crimes.

What follows is the full text of his letter:

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Excellency,

Pursuant to the letter dated 13 June 2025 (S/2025/379) regarding the act of aggression committed by the Israeli regime against the Islamic Republic of Iran from 13 June 2025 until 24 June 2025, and other relevant communications, I am writing to recall the necessity of fulfilment, by the United Nations Security Council, of its primary responsibility in maintenance of international peace and security.

Since the beginning of aggression of the Israeli regime against the Islamic Republic of Iran on 13 June 2025 in flagrant breach of Article 2 (4) of the United Nations Charter, a number of residential buildings, civilians, and civilian infrastructure were deliberately targeted in blatant violation of international law. While the full scale of the losses is under assessment, several hospitals and relief centers were targeted in grave breach of international humanitarian law, a few energy installations were targeted with the aim of disrupting daily lives of civilians, and IAEA-safeguarded nuclear facilities became the target of attacks of Israeli regime and the United States in Qom, Arak, Natanz and Isfahan in grave violation of the UN Charter, the NPT, IAEA instruments and its resolutions.

These unilateral attacks on Iran violate numerous fundamental rules of international law, including:

- the right to life under article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

- the international prohibition on the use of force under article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter and customary international law (General Assembly resolution 2625 (XXV) (1970): Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations), which has the status of jus cognes;

- the prohibition on aggression (General Assembly resolution 3314 (XXIX) (1974): Definition of Aggression);

- the duty of non-intervention in the internal affairs of another State (General Assembly resolution 2625 (XXV) (1970): Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations);

- the duty to respect the sovereignty of another State; and

- the right of the Iranian people to self-determination under Article 1(2) of the United Nations Charter and common article 1(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

Following the aggression, a considerable number of UN Member States and regional and international organizations condemned the aggression and attacks in strong terms, recognized them as a serious violation of the UN Charter, including the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) through its Communiqué of 13 June 2025, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) through its Statement of 17 June 2025, BRICS through its Statement of 25 June 2025, Group of the Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations through its statements of 14 & 24 June 2025, the Arab Union through its statement of 21 June 2025 and the PGCC through its statement of 17 June 2025. Furthermore, the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation strongly condemned the aggressions through its resolution of 22 June 2025.

While this is a minimum requirement of the rule of law at the international level, in particular, considering the erga omnes obligation of non-recognition of breach of a peremptory norm of international law, it is incumbent upon the UN Security Council to fulfill its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security entrusted upon it under Article 24 (1) of the Charter.

Therefore, and in the present context, in order to give effect to the provisions of the Charter, and in view of the fact that the Security Council has the duty of determining, as per Article 39, the existence of an act of aggression by the Israeli regime against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, we solemnly request that the Security Council recognize the Israeli regime and the United States as the initiators of the act of aggression and their subsequent responsibility therefor including compensation and reparation. The Security Council should also hold the aggressors accountable and prevent the recurrence of such heinous and serious crimes to enable it to maintain international peace and security. It should be noted that political and military leaders who order an act of aggression, are also individually liable for the international crime of aggression under customary international law.

It is further emphasized that the said act of aggression is a brazen assault on the very foundations of international law, and that tolerating the same and the legal consequences thereof seriously undermines the credibility of the United Nations system, poses a real threat to rule of law at the international level and engenders lawlessness in the future of international relations in our region as well as the international community at large.

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as a document of the General Assembly and of the Security Council.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.