WANA (May 21) – Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations warned that the UN Security Council must not remain silent or indifferent in the face of repeated threats made by U.S. President Donald Trump against Iran, saying the normalization of threats of force by a permanent member of the Council poses a serious danger to international peace and security.

 

Speaking at a UN Security Council session on the protection of civilians, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, said protecting civilians is not merely a humanitarian concern but a binding legal obligation under international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and the UN Charter.

 

Referring to developments in Gaza, Lebanon, and the recent conflict involving Iran, Iravani said civilians and civilian infrastructure have increasingly become targets of deliberate military attacks and collective punishment. He described the recent actions by the United States and Israel against Iran as further evidence of systematic violations of international law.

 

The Iranian envoy said that during the attacks, a girls’ school in Minab was deliberately targeted and destroyed, resulting in the deaths of more than 168 students. He described the incident as a war crime and stressed that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure cannot be dismissed as collateral damage.

 

Iravani also criticized the Security Council’s performance, saying the body had failed to fulfill its responsibilities because of obstruction by one of its permanent members.

 

He said the Council should not remain silent in response to repeated threats by the U.S. president against Iran, including threats to bomb the country, destroy its economic and energy infrastructure, target Iranian nuclear scientists and senior officials, and even threaten the destruction of Iranian civilization.

 

According to Iravani, remaining silent in the face of such rhetoric would create a dangerous precedent in international relations. He added that the United States, Israel, and countries that facilitated or supported the attacks against Iran must bear full legal and international responsibility for their actions.

 

The Iranian ambassador further stated that no country should enjoy impunity or political protection while violating the UN Charter and targeting civilians. He called on the international community to recommit itself to the core principles of the UN Charter, including sovereign equality, non-use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, and respect for the territorial integrity and political independence of states.

 

Iravani also emphasized that Iran’s actions were carried out within the framework of its legitimate right to self-defense, and said any attempt to portray those actions as illegitimate is politically motivated and lacks legal basis.