WANA (Jun 20) – The Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, has warned that the UN Security Council’s failure to take action at this critical juncture would constitute “a blatant disregard for its fundamental responsibilities and a grave betrayal of the core principles of the UN Charter.”

 

Speaking at an emergency session of the Security Council held on Friday to address what he described as the “aggressions of the Zionist regime,” Iravani welcomed the presence of the UN Secretary-General and expressed appreciation for his opening statement. He also thanked Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo for her “valuable report.”

 

Iravani went on to extend gratitude to Algeria, Pakistan, China, and the Russian Federation for their support in convening the meeting and for their clear condemnation of the “brutal attacks” by the Israeli regime against Iran.

 

The full text of the Iranian envoy’s speech is as follows:

 

“Statement by Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations – Emergency Security Council Session, June 2025

 

Madam President,

 

On 13 June, the Israeli regime launched a large-scale, unprovoked military attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Civilian cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, and Kermanshah, were deliberately targeted.

 

These were premeditated, systematic attacks that led to the martyrdom of senior military officials, scientists, university professors, students, doctors, artists, athletes, humanitarian workers, and ordinary civilians — including women, children, and infants. Many victims were killed in their sleep. Hundreds of civilians have been killed and thousands injured.

 

The aggression is ongoing. On 16 June, the Israeli regime targeted Hakim Children’s Hospital in Tehran, Farabi Rehabilitation Hospital in Kermanshah, buildings of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, and emergency ambulances. These are only a few examples of Israel’s acts of violence and its flagrant violations of international humanitarian law.

 

At least two pregnant women and their unborn children were martyred in these attacks. On the same day, Israel targeted the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) while it was broadcasting live, resulting in the deaths of several journalists and rescue workers.

 

Just today, the Israeli regime attacked two more hospitals in Iran, endangering the lives of patients and medical staff. So far, five hospitals have been damaged in these brutal attacks, and several doctors and humanitarian personnel have been killed or wounded.

 

These were not accidental incidents or so-called “collateral damage” — they were deliberate war crimes, acts of state terrorism, and clear examples of savage warfare.

 

Madam President, Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues,

 

The Israeli regime also attacked Iran’s peaceful, safeguarded nuclear facilities. On 13 June, it targeted a uranium conversion facility and a fuel plate production plant. On 18 June, it struck centrifuge manufacturing centers in Tehran and Karaj, which are under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The following day, on 19 June, it attacked the Arak heavy water reactor — a facility constructed in accordance with the JCPOA and under IAEA safeguards, posing no proliferation risk.

 

These attacks violate the UN Charter, international law, the IAEA Statute, and Security Council Resolutions 2231 (2015) and 487 (1981).

 

Israel’s attacks represent a blatant assault on the global non-proliferation regime.

 

Security Council Resolution 487, adopted unanimously, clearly states that any military attack on safeguarded nuclear facilities is considered an attack on the IAEA safeguards regime and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) itself. The Security Council must uphold its own resolutions. Failure to act at this critical moment would signal to the international community that international law and Security Council resolutions are applied selectively and with double standards.

If the non-proliferation regime collapses, this Council, alongside Israel, will bear responsibility.

 

Madam President,

 

Despite repeated warnings from the Islamic Republic of Iran about threats to its peaceful nuclear sites and facilities, the Director General of the IAEA has failed to take any action. This silence undermines the Agency’s credibility, impartiality, and authority. The IAEA cannot remain silent in the face of attacks on safeguarded facilities. This inaction must end.

 

The Israeli regime has openly declared its intention to continue these attacks “for as long as necessary.”

 

We are gravely concerned by credible reports suggesting that the United States, as a depository state of the NPT, may be joining this unlawful war. Any support for such actions would be a blatant violation of the NPT and would seriously undermine global security.

 

The selective invocation of international law by the United States and France — using it when convenient and ignoring it when it hinders their allies — is a blatant form of structural hypocrisy that gravely erodes the credibility of this Council and international law itself.

 

Let me be clear:

 

Iran’s nuclear program is entirely peaceful and subject to the most extensive IAEA monitoring in the world;

 

The Islamic Republic of Iran has always advocated for a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East;

 

The Israeli regime is the only party in the region with undeclared nuclear weapons and has refused to join the NPT, obstructing all efforts toward regional disarmament.

 

Madam President,

 

The Israeli regime’s aggression violates the UN Charter:

 

It breaches the fundamental prohibition on the use of force as enshrined in Article 2(4) of the Charter;

 

It infringes upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran;

 

It violates international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and the right to life and security of our people.

 

The regime has committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of state terrorism. Its attacks on safeguarded nuclear facilities set a dangerous precedent for global security.

 

The current dire situation is further exacerbated by mounting, indisputable evidence of direct U.S. involvement in this unlawful and aggressive war. The United States has publicly threatened to strike Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities. Such actions represent a clear violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and an affront to the principle of sovereign equality of states. These reckless statements and actions — made by the highest-ranking officials of a permanent member of this Council, who bear primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security — are deeply irresponsible.

 

Madam President,

 

Iran has exercised its inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Our actions have been fully in accordance with international law, including humanitarian law, and all necessary precautions have been taken to protect civilians. The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to exercise this right as long as the Security Council fails to fulfill its primary responsibility under the Charter and until Israeli aggression is fully and unconditionally halted.

 

The Security Council must act immediately. We once again call on the Council to:

 

Recognize Israel’s unlawful use of force and armed attacks against Iran as a threat to international peace and acts of aggression under Article 39 of the Charter;

 

Adopt binding and enforceable measures under Chapter VII of the Charter to end the aggression and prevent its recurrence;

 

Explicitly condemn the violation of Iran’s sovereignty and the targeting of its safeguarded nuclear facilities;

 

Address the risk of regional war escalation, particularly the illegal involvement of a third-party state.

 

Madam President,

 

The lies and distortions spread by the representative of the Israeli regime and its Western allies no longer deceive anyone. They cannot cleanse or justify that regime’s heinous crimes.

International law is crystal clear: the Israeli regime has no right to commit these acts of aggression. There is no legal or moral justification for attacking civilians, civilian infrastructure, or safeguarded nuclear facilities. War crimes cannot be legally or morally excused.

 

The so-called claims of “preemptive attack” and “existential threat” used by this terrorist regime and its allies to justify aggression have no basis in international law and cannot serve as a pretext for acts of aggression, killing innocent people, or violating the territorial integrity of sovereign states.

 

These are hollow excuses for Israeli aggression. The Islamic Republic of Iran has never initiated any war, while Israel — as an occupying and terrorist regime — has a long and dark history of illegal use of force, violations of international law, assassinations, and nuclear secrecy that have destabilized the entire region.

 

The selective application of international law by some members of this Council exposes dangerous double standards that threaten international peace and security and undermine the credibility of this institution.

 

Without the backing and protection of certain Western governments — particularly the United States — the Israeli regime could never have committed such aggression with impunity. Their complicity must be recorded by history.

 

In conclusion, Madam President,

 

The Security Council’s failure to act at this critical moment would represent a blatant dereliction of its fundamental responsibilities and a grave betrayal of the core principles of the UN Charter. Inaction would:

 

Embolden the aggressor;

 

Undermine international law;

 

And send a dangerous message of impunity to the world.”