WANA (Apr 02) – Amir Saeid Iravani, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, stated in a letter to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council that the threats made by the President of the United States constitute clear, direct, and public evidence of criminal intent to commit war crimes under international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

 

In his letter, sent on Thursday local time to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the rotating President of the Security Council, Iravani noted that these threats explicitly refer to the targeting and large-scale destruction of civilian objects, including infrastructure essential for the survival of the civilian population.

 

He stressed that the United States would bear full international legal responsibility for all consequences arising from these unlawful threats, as well as any actions taken on their basis.

 

Iravani further emphasized that such internationally wrongful acts, if carried out, would entail not only the international responsibility of the United States but also the individual criminal liability of those involved in their planning, authorization, or execution, who must be held accountable.

 

Full text of the letter from the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations:

 

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

 

Upon instructions from my Government, and with reference to previous correspondence regarding the ongoing war of aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Islamic Republic of Iran, I hereby wish to inform Your Excellency and the members of the Security Council of a tragic and devastating attack carried out today by U.S.-Israeli aggressors against the Pasteur Institute, the oldest and most reputable public health and research center in the Middle East, established in 1920 in cooperation with the Pasteur Institute of Paris. This act is not merely a war crime within the framework of an unlawful war; it constitutes a brutal assault on fundamental human values.

 

At the same time, the President of the United States, alongside ongoing attacks by his country and the Israeli regime against civilians, civilian sites, and vital infrastructure—including bridges—has continued to issue explicit threats to destroy the infrastructure of the Islamic Republic of Iran. On April 1, 2026, he publicly threatened to “strike Iran very hard,” to “take them back to the Stone Age,” and to “severely and possibly simultaneously target all of their power generation facilities.” These shameful remarks followed earlier statements made on March 30, 2026, in which he warned that if an immediate agreement with Iran were not reached, the United States would “blow up and completely destroy Iran’s vital civilian infrastructure, including power plants, oil facilities, Kharg Island, and desalination facilities.” He had also stated on March 21, 2026, that he would “target and destroy Iran’s power plants, starting with the largest one.”

 

The statements of the President of the United States constitute clear, direct, and public evidence of criminal intent to commit war crimes under international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. These threats explicitly concern the targeting and large-scale destruction of civilian objects, including infrastructure essential for the survival of the civilian population.

 

The United States will bear full international legal responsibility for all consequences arising from these unlawful threats, as well as any actions taken on their basis. Such internationally wrongful acts, if carried out, would entail the international responsibility of the United States, as well as the individual criminal liability of those involved in their planning, ordering, or execution, who must be held accountable.

 

In response to these deliberate and unlawful threats and attacks, and in light of the continued failure of the Security Council to fulfill its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, the Islamic Republic of Iran has no option but to exercise its inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. Iran will take all necessary and proportionate measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, ensure the security of its people, and protect its vital national interests.

 

I would be grateful if you would arrange for this letter to be circulated as an official document of the Security Council.

 

Amir Saeid Iravani

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations