WANA (Mar 02) – Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, following the U.S. and Israeli aggression against Iran and the assassination of Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, addressed a letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and the President of the UN Security Council, stating: “Such an attack carries profound and far-reaching consequences, the full responsibility for which rests exclusively with its perpetrators.”

 

In the letter, sent Sunday local time to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council, Araghchi wrote: “Amid a new series of aggressive, unprovoked, and wholly unjustified acts against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United States and the Israeli regime deliberately targeted the highest-ranking official of an independent United Nations Member State — the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei — on 28 February 2026.”

 

The Iranian Foreign Minister stated: “This cowardly terrorist act, carried out in flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations, constitutes a direct assault on the most fundamental principles of international law, including the prohibition on the use of force, the principle of sovereign equality of states, and the inviolability and immunity of heads of state.”

 

Araghchi emphasised: “Such an act establishes a dangerous and unprecedented precedent that strikes at the core norms governing state sovereignty and civilized conduct among nations. Heads of state embody the sovereignty of their peoples and, under international law, are inviolable, respected, and immune — a principle essential to the independent performance of their official duties.”

 

He continued: “Therefore, the deliberate targeting of the highest official of the Islamic Republic of Iran represents a grave and unprecedented violation of the most fundamental norms governing relations among states. Such conduct is not merely a breach of established principles of international law; it recklessly risks generating unforeseen and dangerous consequences, undermining the foundation of sovereign equality among states and the stability of the international system.”

 

The Foreign Minister added: “Furthermore, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was not only the country’s highest official but also a religious figure respected by tens of millions of Muslims across the region and the world. Such an attack entails profound and far-reaching consequences, the full responsibility for which rests exclusively with its perpetrators.”

 

He stressed: “This in no way negates the inherent and lawful right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and people in full conformity with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.”

People gather to mourn after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in Israeli and U.S. strikes on Saturday, in Tehran, Iran, March 1, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

Full Text of the Letter:

 

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

 Excellency,

I am writing to bring to your urgent attention the latest outrageous and criminal act perpetrated against the great nation of Iran by the United States and the Israeli regime. Failure to respond decisively to such conduct will not only embolden its perpetrators but will also inflict lasting and irreparable damage on the foundations of the international legal order for decades to come.

 

On 28 February 2026, in the course of a new series of unprovoked and unjustified acts of aggression against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran — in flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations — the United States and the Israeli regime deliberately targeted the Highest Official of a sovereign Member of the United Nations, i.e the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamene’ei. This cowardly act of terror constitutes a direct assault on the very core principles of international law, including the prohibition on the use of force, the respect for sovereign equality, and the inviolability and immunity of Heads of State. It represents a dangerous and unprecedented escalation that strikes at the most fundamental norms of statehood and civilized conduct among nations. Heads of State embody the sovereignty of their nations and, under international law, enjoy inviolability, respect, and immunity indispensable for the independent performance of their official functions.

 

The deliberate targeting of the Highest Official of the Islamic Republic of Iran, therefore, constitutes a grave and unprecedented breach of the most fundamental norms governing relations among States. Such conduct does not merely violate established principles of international law; it recklessly opens a dangerous Pandora’s box, eroding the bedrock of sovereign equality and the stability of the international system. Moreover, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamene’ei, is not only the Highest Official, but also a highly respected religious figure for tens of millions of Muslims in the region and around the world. Such an attack carries profound and far-reaching consequences, the full responsibility for which rests solely with the perpetrators. This is without prejudice to the inherent and unequivocal right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and people, in full conformity with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.

 

The aforementioned act was carried out in manifest disregard of binding principles of international law and customary international law, including those reflected in the 1973 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons. It engages the international responsibility of the wrongdoing States concerned, as well as the individual criminal responsibility of the President of the United States, the so-called Prime Minister of the Israeli regime, and all individuals involved in planning, ordering, authorizing, committing, or otherwise aiding and abetting this criminal act. The foregoing is without prejudice to accountability for the ongoing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression being committed by the agents of the United States and the Israeli regime.

 

In light of the foregoing, and at a time when the normalization of grave violations of international law regrettably threatens the integrity of the international system, the Islamic Republic of Iran solemnly calls upon the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Security Council to discharge their Charter-mandated responsibilities for the maintenance of international peace and security and take immediate, concrete, and effective measures to ensure the full accountability of the United States and the Israeli regime for the aforementioned atrocious terrorist act.

 

I would be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as an official document of the Security Council.

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

Seyed Abbas Araghchi Minister for Foreign Affairs