WANA (Mar 27) – Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi held a phone conversation on Thursday with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to discuss the latest regional developments and the security and humanitarian consequences of what Tehran described as US and Israeli military aggression against Iran.

 

During the call, Araghchi briefed the UN chief on the latest developments on the ground and what he called the “crimes committed by the United States and the Zionist regime,” stressing that Iran remains firmly determined to continue its legitimate defense of national security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

 

Referring to attacks on civilian targets—including schools, hospitals, public facilities, residential areas, as well as cultural and historical sites—the Iranian foreign minister underlined the responsibility of the United Nations and the Secretary-General personally to address what he described as clear violations of the UN Charter and international law, including human rights and international humanitarian law.

 

Araghchi also criticized what he called one-sided calls by some parties urging Iran to show restraint and halt the war, saying the central fact should not be ignored: it was the United States, acting alongside Israel, that once again betrayed diplomacy and imposed war on the region and the wider world.

 

In another part of the conversation, he described the current insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz as a direct result of what he called the unlawful actions and aggression of the United States and Israel. He added that preventing the passage of vessels belonging to or linked with the enemy and its allies falls within Iran’s legal rights as a littoral state. According to Araghchi, the relevant Iranian authorities, fully aware of their responsibilities regarding maritime safety and security, have already taken the necessary measures in the strategic waterway.

 

Iran’s top diplomat also called for more serious action and a clearer, firmer stance from the United Nations in fulfilling what he described as its inherent duty to safeguard international peace and security. He urged the organization to condemn the aggressors and to use its institutional capacity, along with the support of independent countries, to hold them accountable.

 

For his part, Guterres reaffirmed the United Nations’ principled position on the need to respect the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, while expressing the organization’s deep concern over the continuation of war and bloodshed in the region.

 

The UN Secretary-General also announced the appointment of Jean Arnault as his representative for Middle East affairs, saying the purpose of the appointment is to establish direct contact with Iranian officials and consult with the Islamic Republic in an effort to help resolve the current crisis.