WANA (Jul 17) – Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, has strongly condemned what he termed aggressive U.S. military strikes targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure, calling them grave violations of international humanitarian law and clear instances of war crimes.

 

In a formal letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the rotating President of the UN Security Council on Thursday, Ambassador Iravani stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran condemns in the strongest possible terms these acts of aggression and the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure by the United States.

 

He asserted that the repeated strikes on civilian targets constitute war crimes for which the U.S. government holds full international responsibility. He further warned that the continuation of these illegal armed attacks poses a severe threat to international peace and security, freedom of navigation, regional stability, and the security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

 

The complete text of the letter from Iran’s UN Ambassador to the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council President is as follows:

 

“In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

 

Following previous correspondence regarding the ongoing aggressive acts of the United States of America against the Islamic Republic of Iran, I wish to inform you and the members of the Security Council that, due to the Security Council’s continued failure to fulfill its responsibilities, the United States persists in its aggressive actions against Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, committing heinous war crimes against the Iranian people in flagrant violation of the UN Charter and international law, particularly international humanitarian law.

 

In this regard, I would like to bring to your attention that from July 8 until today, July 16, 2026, the United States has continued extensive military attacks against various parts of the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran, specifically the southern provinces, coastal cities, and ports along the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Repeated attacks have been carried out against cities including Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Ahvaz, Chabahar, Konarak, Jask, Sirik, Iranshahr, Abu Musa Island, and Greater Tunb Island.

 

In the early hours of today, July 16, 2026, the cities of Shiraz, Khorramabad, Semnan, Urmia, and Hamadan were also attacked. These strikes have targeted and extensively damaged ports, transport networks, communication facilities, logistics hubs, radar systems, coastal defense systems, and other critical infrastructure essential for the civilian population and the functioning of the national economy.

 

The systematic destruction of this civilian infrastructure has disrupted commercial activities, maritime transport, rescue services, and the daily livelihoods of citizens, leading to profound long-term humanitarian, environmental, and economic consequences. During this latest wave of criminal attacks, more than 35 Iranians were martyred and over 260 others were injured.

 

Among the victims are civilians, rescue workers, firefighters, environmental rangers, and fishermen. On July 8, 2026, a firefighter performing a rescue mission following a U.S. attack on the Iranshahr airport was martyred in the line of duty.

 

Additionally, in the early hours of July 14, 2026, the United States targeted an environmental ranger post in the village of Seyyed Jozar in the Hajiabad county of Hormozgan Province, resulting in the deaths of three family members of Mr. Javad Hassanzadeh, a dedicated and self-sacrificing environmental ranger.

 

In the early hours of July 15, 2026, the United States launched a missile attack on the barracks and dormitory of the Ground Forces of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Bampur, Iranshahr, in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. Thirteen missiles were fired at the dormitory, resulting in the martyrdom of seven brave defenders of the homeland, named Reza Shafiei, Farhad Alavi, Abolfazl Molaei, Hossein Jafari, Alireza Ghasemi, Hesamuddin Abbasi, and Abbas Hassan Shahi.

 

Several other military personnel were injured and remain under medical treatment. In another heinous act on the evening of Wednesday, July 15, 2026, the Shahid Baghaei Hospital was damaged as a result of brutal U.S. airstrikes targeting various areas of Ahvaz and the surroundings of this medical facility.

 

To preserve the lives and safety of the patients, the hospital was evacuated and patients were transferred to other medical centers. This hospital is a specialized medical center in Khuzestan Province that provides treatment and care for children suffering from cancer and other blood-related diseases. A large number of patients from across the province and neighboring provinces regularly visit this center for medical services.

 

The U.S. attack on this hospital is a cowardly act and a clear example of a war crime against the most innocent and vulnerable human beings—namely, children bravely fighting for their lives.

 

Furthermore, over the past week alone, the United States has carried out a systematic campaign of attacks against civilian targets and critical civilian infrastructure, including a wheat storage silo in Hoveyzeh, a mineral water production plant in the Musian area of Dehloran, and the maritime control tower in Chabahar, aiming to disrupt assistance to fishermen and jeopardize the safety and security of maritime navigation and international trade.

 

These attacks, along with numerous other strikes against civilian targets, constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and amount to war crimes for which the United States bears full international responsibility. It is a matter of deep regret that the United States government and its President, through their statements and actions, have shown a blatant disregard for the UN Charter and international law.

 

The U.S. President, who had previously publicly threatened Iran with the destruction of its civilization, bridges, power plants, and other civilian infrastructure, once again declared with audacity and recklessness in an interview on July 15, 2026, “Next week we will target its bridges and power plants.”

 

Furthermore, in a television interview on July 13, 2026, referring to the U.S. bombing of Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities, the U.S. President stated, “If it weren’t for me, or Bibi, especially the combination… they would have acquired nuclear weapons within two weeks if I hadn’t targeted them with nuclear weapons.”

 

These remarks, publicly made by the head of state of the United States—a nuclear-weapon state, a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), a permanent member of the Security Council, and one of the depositary governments of the NPT—demand the utmost attention of the Security Council. These words reveal the dangerous mindset of the U.S. President and demonstrate his complete disregard for the UN Charter, international law, and the most fundamental human principles.

 

Such statements indicate that the United States recognizes no legal or humanitarian red lines in advancing its policies, including the prohibition on the use of nuclear weapons and the commission of war crimes through attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.

 

The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns in the strongest possible terms these acts of aggression and the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure by the United States, which represent clear violations of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the UN Charter, the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, the prohibition on the threat or use of force, and grave breaches of international humanitarian law.

 

The repeated targeting of ports, airports, transport facilities, rescue services, and other civilian targets constitutes war crimes. The United States bears full international responsibility for all loss of life, injuries, damage to critical infrastructure, environmental harm, and all direct and indirect consequences arising from its internationally wrongful acts.

 

The continuation of these illegal armed attacks is a serious threat to international peace and security, freedom of navigation, regional stability, and the security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Therefore, the Islamic Republic of Iran once again requests the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council to take immediate and effective measures, within the framework of their responsibilities under the UN Charter, to end the U.S. aggression and ensure its accountability for all the grave violations committed.

 

Until the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, fulfills its duties to maintain international peace and security, the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to exercise all its rights under international law to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, people, and vital interests.

 

Iran will also utilize all available legal mechanisms and avenues to ensure the accountability of the perpetrators of these flagrant violations and war crimes. I would be grateful if you would arrange for this letter to be circulated as an official document of the Security Council.”