WANA (Mar 08) – Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, has formally notified the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council that Iran’s military responses are strictly defensive and directed solely at the origins of aggression against its territory.

 

In a letter following up on a previous communication dated March 3, 2026, Ambassador Iravani detailed the ongoing conflict initiated by the United States and the Israeli regime. He emphasized that Iran’s defensive measures against U.S. bases and facilities in the region must not be interpreted as an act of hostility toward neighboring countries.

 

Citing the Right to Self-Defense Under Article 51

The Iranian envoy characterized the joint military actions by Israel and the United States—which began on Saturday, February 28, 2026—as a “flagrant violation of national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

 

He noted that the aggression included the assassination of the Supreme Leader and high-ranking officials, alongside simultaneous strikes on civilian infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, sports facilities, and residential areas.

 

“The response to this brutal military aggression is the exercise of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s inherent right to self-defense, as stipulated in Article 51 of the UN Charter,” Iravani wrote. He added that these operations would continue until the aggression ceases or the Security Council fulfills its responsibility under Article 39 of the Charter to hold the aggressors accountable.

 

Warning on the Use of Territory for Aggression

The letter invoked the fundamental international legal principle of “No Harm” (la darar), asserting that states must not allow their territory to be used by a third party to launch attacks against another nation.

 

Iravani specifically referenced UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 (1974), noting that Article 3(f) defines “the action of a State in allowing its territory, which it has placed at the disposal of another State, to be used by that other State for perpetrating an act of aggression against a third State” as an act of aggression itself.

 

He warned that states facilitating such actions bear international legal responsibility, including the liability for direct and indirect damages resulting from attacks launched from their soil.

 

Operations Restricted to Origins of Attack

The Ambassador underscored that because the UN Security Council has been “evidently incapable” of performing its duties, Iran has taken “necessary and proportionate” defensive actions.

 

“The defensive operations of the Islamic Republic of Iran are exclusively directed at targets and capacities that are considered the origin or starting point of aggressive acts against the Iranian people,” the statement clarified.

 

Iravani argued that U.S. military presence in the region has not contributed to security but has instead served as a support system for crimes against Iranian civilians, including women and children.

 

Commitment to Regional Diplomacy

Despite the escalating military situation, the envoy reiterated Tehran’s commitment to “friendly relations based on mutual respect, good neighborliness, and respect for the territorial integrity of others.”

 

The letter concluded with a request that the communication be circulated as an official document of the UN Security Council, re-emphasizing that Iran’s actions are a reaction to unprovoked warfare and not a sign of enmity toward its neighbors.

A view of the aftermath of a strike on a police station, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 4, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)