WANA (Mar 09) – The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a letter to the UN Secretary-General, the members of the Security Council, and the foreign ministers of UN member states, described the recent threat by the President of the United States to target the Iranian people as a clear admission of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

 

The text of Seyed Abbas Araghchi’s letter to the Secretary-General, the members of the Security Council, and the foreign ministers of UN member states, published on Sunday night, March 8, 2026, reads as follows:

 

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

I would like to draw your attention to the latest outrageous threat made by the President of the United States against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as his explicit admission of committing war crimes against the Iranian nation.

 

In the midst of an aggressive war imposed on my country in violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the established fundamental principles of international law, the President of the United States brazenly stated on social media that: “…areas and groups of people that had not previously been considered targets are now seriously being considered for total destruction and certain death.”

 

This criminal commitment to the “total destruction and certain death of areas and groups of people,” which clearly reflects the United States’ desperation in the face of its own failures, comes at a time when the world is witnessing military attacks by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran’s schools, hospitals, residential buildings, infrastructure, sports halls, and relief centers—attacks that have so far taken the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians, including women and children.

 

While Iran continues to exercise its inherent right of self-defense against this premeditated and unjustified aggression in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, the horrific war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the aggressors’ agents have resulted in the martyrdom of more than 1,300 civilians and the destruction of 9,669 civilian targets, including 7,943 residential units, 1,617 commercial and service centers, 32 medical and pharmaceutical facilities, 65 schools and educational institutions, 13 buildings belonging to the Red Crescent Society, and several energy infrastructure facilities.

 

Therefore, the aforementioned statement by the President of the United States constitutes a clear admission of responsibility for the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since February 28, 2026, in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

 

In fact, the United States has openly violated the prohibition on the threat of force contained in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, following the continued violations by the United States and the Israeli regime of the peremptory norm prohibiting aggression—an aggression that began with a cowardly and terrorist act against the highest official of an independent UN member state and several other officials of that government.

 

Furthermore, his threat to destroy groups of people not only represents a clear violation of the right to life, but also paves the way for further inhumane attacks against civilians and their mass killing.

 

While the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue exercising its right of self-defense until the Security Council fulfills its responsibility under the Charter to maintain international peace and security, these statements also give rise to the international responsibility of the United States as well as the international criminal liability of the U.S. President.

 

Accordingly, the United States is obliged to make full reparation for the damages arising from its ongoing violations against Iran and its citizens, including any losses incurred.

 

In addition, the individual criminal responsibility of the President of the United States and any other American officials and persons involved in grave breaches of international humanitarian law—including ordering deliberate attacks against civilians and intentionally launching attacks against civilian targets—is evident and beyond doubt.

 

The Islamic Republic of Iran firmly calls on the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Security Council to take the necessary measures, within the framework of their responsibilities for maintaining international peace and security, to bring the ongoing war crimes to an end and to ensure greater accountability for the United States and its President. Such action would help end the culture of impunity and prevent the further normalization of violations of international law.

 

I would be grateful if you would arrange for this communication to be circulated as an official document of the Security Council.
Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.