WANA (May 22) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, has sharply criticized recent remarks by German President regarding the 2018 U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal and subsequent military actions against Iran, rejecting the characterization of the attacks as merely an “unnecessary war.”

 

In a podcast interview, the German President had criticized the United States for pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 and its subsequent resort to force against Tehran, labeling the military aggression an “unnecessary war.”

 

Responding via a statement on social media platform X, Baghaei agreed that Washington’s exit from the accord triggered the current global and regional instability, but firmly rejected any framing that minimizes the illegality of the military strikes.

 

Full Text of the Foreign Ministry Statement:

“Mr. President,

 

It is true that the current crisis confronting our region and the world stems directly from the United States’ unlawful and capricious withdrawal from the JCPOA in May 2018;

 

It is also true that this imposed war could and should have been avoided;

 

However, the UN Charter does not recognize any notion of a “necessary war” that would grant States the right to use force against another sovereign nation based on the arbitrary & whimsical decisions of aggressors.

 

The American-Israeli attack on Iran cannot be downplayed or reframed as merely an “unnecessary war.” It was a flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter — a blatant act of aggression against a sovereign State.

 

Any nation that values the rule of law and the UN Charter must unequivocally condemn this act of aggression and call for accountability.”

 

Violations of International Law

The Iranian spokesperson emphasized that under international law, there is no legal framework that distinguishes between “necessary” and “unnecessary” acts of military aggression.

 

By invoking Article 2(4) of the UN Charter—which strictly prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state—Tehran is calling on the international community, including European nations, to move past rhetorical critiques and formally hold the U.S. and Israel accountable for violations of sovereign law.