Iran Backs Qatar’s Self-Defense Right After Israeli Aggression: Envoy
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations declared that the Islamic Republic firmly supports Qatar’s right to defend itself after Israeli regime’s latest act of aggression targeting leaders of Palestinian resistance movement in Doha.
Amir Saeed Iravani made the remarks on Thursday in a statement prepared for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to discuss Israel’s September 9 strikes on the Qatari capital of Doha, which assassinated several top Hamas officials as well as Qatari civilians.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran unequivocally and decisively condemns the terrorist aggression and armed attacks by the Zionist regime against the government of Qatar, which resulted in the martyrdom and injury of a number of Palestinian and Qatari civilians, and declares the solidarity and support of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the government of Qatar,” Iravani said.
“Iran firmly supports the right of the government of Qatar to legitimate self-defense, based on international law and the UN Charter, in response to such reckless violations, and affirms its right to take all necessary political, diplomatic, and legal measures to protect its citizens, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
The Iranian diplomat underlined that the Israeli onslaught on Qatar and other regional countries is a clear violation of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and international law.
“The continuation of the Zionist regime's genocide in occupied Palestine, its repeated aggressive and terrorist actions against Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, its criminal attack against Iran, and now its military attack on Qatar, show that this regime is an immediate and real threat to regional and international peace and security,” Iravani said.
“It is regrettable that the Security Council, by neglecting its duties, has practically normalized the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza and its criminal aggression in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and now Qatar,” he added.
Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations stressed that the UNSC's failure to act at such a critical juncture will amount to a profound dereliction of its responsibilities and a betrayal of the principles upon which the United Nations was founded.
“Inaction will only embolden the aggressor, undermine international law, and send a dangerous message of impunity around the world,” he said.
Iravani also reiterated the Islamic Republic’s emphasis on the urgent need for decisive action by regional countries and the international community to hold the Israeli regime accountable for its continuous and egregious violations of international norms.
Qatar has been a key regional mediator in negotiations between Hamas and Israel, whose prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, threatened on Wednesday to try to kill Hamas leaders in Qatar again if Doha "does not expel" the group’s officials.
Hamas confirmed that its senior negotiators survived the attack, but five members of the group were killed, including Jihad Labad, director of the office of senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, Hammam al-Hayya, son of Khalil al-Hayya, Abdullah Abdul Wahid, Moumen Hassouna, and Ahmed al-Mamlouk — all described as companions of the delegation.
Qatari security officer Badr Saad Muhammad Al-Humaidi was also among the martyrs of Israeli attacks on Monday.
The Israeli attack was condemned by world leaders and regional resistance groups, as well as many international and religious organizations.
